C'Mon
by Assumption327
Summary: Charlie Weasley is one of two gay men in Romania studying dragons. The other, Stephen, isn't the type for relationships. When a relationship between the two of them finally happens, it has its ups and downs. Will they always love each other?
1. Chapter 1

Charlie's arm gripped a stinging burn on his arm as he stared up at the Norwegian Ridgeback who had administered it. Preparing the dragons for the Triwizard Tournament was stressful and not something Charlie particularly approved of. Dragons were not something to be under estimated. Years of experience had taught him that students would be incapable of handling them. It concerned Charlie even more when he discovered in a letter from his brother Ron that Harry Potter would be competing, Ron and Harry were only fourteen, much too young to be anywhere near dragons, let alone battling them.

Still, Charlie could not deny that had he been given a chance to see a dragon at age fourteen, he would have been giddy with excitement. From a young age, Charlie knew his heart belonged with the dragons. He started his magical creature classes when he was thirteen, and from the moment he read about the dragons he knew that he would be moving to Romania. He spent his days studying to become a dragon keeper and found out how to apply for a job there.

His only doubts about his career came when he was fifteen. His new feelings came as a shock to him. He had made out girls before. He had even liked it. Only a year before he had a steady girlfriend. There was no denying it though. Charlie, over the course of months, decided that he was most definitely gay.

It wasn't his sexuality itself that scared him. His family had always been pretty open about changes, no matter how much the boys teased each other. His discovery had caused uneasy thoughts to enter his mind. It was expected for an openly gay man to enter a career in dragon training and research. Charlie doubted there would be anyone else like him in the dragon habitats of Romania. He feared that he would live a lonely life, or that people would isolate him.

For a while, Charlie dabbled in areas to see if he had talents elsewhere. In every class, his mind wandered back to dragons. He came out to his family, and though it took a while, his family understood. Ron and Ginny were too young to fully understand, and Fred and George just barely grasped the idea, but Bill found that it was a reason to become closer to Charlie. In his last year of school, Bill protected and cared for Charlie as if it was his soul duty. Not that Charlie needed the protecting. Hardly anyone knew his secret, and he was popular for being on the quiditch team.

Even after Bill had left Hogwarts, they wrote to each other on a daily basis. Charlie never sat at the Gryffindor breakfast table without a letter to read. It was Bill who convinced Charlie to live his dream even if it was unusual. Bill promised that, in the end, people would just have to accept him or ignore him. Charlie would just need to stay strong until that day.

Within the first days of living in Romania, Charlie felt at home. It was true that there weren't any other gay men that he knew of working there, but there was something different about each employee. No one judged one another because, in the end, they were all a bit on the strange side. They had chosen a different kind of life, and therefore accepted anyone else's choice of life.

It took a month for Charlie to meet him. It took another month for Charlie to know about his sexuality, but Charlie still took to Stephen the second they made eye contact. Stephen was friendly, vivacious, and a teaser. It had mastered the difficult skill of making fun of people but keeping their feelings in mind. Before Charlie knew that he was the only other gay man on the preserve.

Charlie wanted nothing more than to be an official couple with Stephen, but he knew for a fact that it wasn't Stephen's style. Stephen spoke of on and off boy friends that he stayed connected with through owls. Randomly one of these many lovers would visit for a week or so, and leave just as abruptly as they came. While Charlie liked Stephen, he didn't want a relationship like that. He wanted something reliable and concrete. Stephen wasn't willing to offer that. Things stayed flirtatious but never anything more than that.

Charlie shoved the dragon back once more with a shielding spell, as other employees closed down the doors to its cage. Staring back down at his arm, Charlie assessed the damage. It was red and sore to the touch, and if it had been received from normal fire, Charlie would have ignored it. He knew that dragon fire was to be dealt with carefully though. He turned on his heal and headed straight to the infirmary tent, where he knew Stephen was working.

Things in the infirmary were slow that morning. There were some days where it seemed that all the employees were crowded inside the tent desperately trying to receive medical attention. Then there were the days when the medics sat idly around, trying to amuse themselves until they had their shift in the field. This was one of those days.

When Charlie walked in he found Stephen passed asleep in a wooden chair. A slight red light was cast upon him from the early morning sun shining through the canvas of the tent. Charlie crept up on him, wanting to awake him, but not being able to ignore how peaceful he looked while he slept. His hand was just reaching out to wake him up, when Charlie heard a voice behind him.

"Hey," someone whispered. It was Vanessa. She was two years younger than Charlie and a new recruit, so to speak. She had been working the desk at St. Mungo's before, but she disliked her job because she never actually got the chance to administer to patients. She heard of the busy work at the dragon preserves and practically disapparated without a word to her previous employers. Charlie knew that she was being trained by Stephen.

"Don't wake him up," she continued. "He barely had any sleep last night. This Triwizard Tournament is difficult for everyone."

"Were there any serious injuries last night?" Charlie asked. He hadn't heard of anything drastic, but that never meant that someone hadn't been.

"Nothing too bad," Vanessa assured him. "He's more just anxious about the tournament itself. He wakes up in the middle of the night to pack another vial or more gauze. He's going as the head medic for the first challenge."

Charlie nodded. He knew how Stephen was feeling. Charlie himself would be going to Hogwarts again to oversee the challenge. God forbid anything went wrong, Charlie was needed to help bring the dragons back under control.

"Anyway," Vanessa sighed. "I'll get you some ointment for that burn." She gestured to Charlie's arm, and he nodded again. Vanessa disappeared behind a tent flap to get the ointment and whatever else she needed.

Charlie relaxed in another wooden chair opposite Stephen's. He surveyed the room around him. The tent looked miniscule from the outside, but it was like an entire building inside (enlarged by magic of course). The tiny tents allowed for thousands to fit in a smaller amount of space. The room Charlie was sitting in had a shabby looking cot, a desk, and two wooden chairs in it. There were other rooms for patients who needed to stay the night, but most dragon keepers were content being administered to in this room. None of the dragon keepers were particularly squeamish or neat.

A grunt from the other chair caused Charlie to turn around abruptly. Stephen had woken up. He gave Charlie a sleepy smile and stretched out his arms with a yawn.

"Do you like watching me sleep, Weasley?" he asked tiredly. Charlie held up his burnt arm to show Stephen. Stephen woke up a bit more at the sight of an injury. "Why didn't you wake me up?" he demanded. "It could be infected." He jumped up to take a closer look. He gently grabbed Charlie's arm and ran a finger down it.

"Stephen, it's okay," Charlie laughed. "Vanessa is already getting some ointment. I could see that you were tired out so I let you be." Stephen dropped the arm and turned to walk through the flap that Vanessa had exited through.

"Vanessa!" he called. "Throw me the ointment! I can take care of this one." After catching the tossed ointment from Vanessa, Stephen re-entered the room. He brought his chair closer to Charlie's and lifted up his arm. He opened to jar of ointment and put two fingers in. He smoothed the cold jell onto Charlie's arm. Charlie jumped a little from the sting but relaxed as the ointment cooled and healed his burn.

"Thanks, Stephen," he breathed. He hadn't even noticed how much the burn hurt until the pain had diminished.

"No problem, babe," Stephen looked up to see Charlie's reaction to the pet name. Charlie was used to these tests. He looked down at his arm, pretending not to have heard the name. In all honesty, he was afraid of Stephen. He was afraid of his own feelings. He knew that once he got attached to Stephen, he wouldn't be able to let go, even after Stephen was done with him.

Charlie stood up to leave and grunted out another thank you, but he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He was pushed back down into his seat as another hand cupped under his chin. He was forced to look up at Stephen's piercing blue eyes. Charlie gulped as Stephen brought his mouth closer to his own. As their lips touched, Charlie knew that he would be able to hold himself back. He returned the kiss full on, and their mouths fit together as if they were made for each other.

There they were kissing. It was Charlie's first kiss with another man, and it was better than anything he ever could have imagined. It was ten times better than any kiss with a girl could ever have been. Stephen's tongue slowly slid into Charlie's while Charlie let his hand slide into Stephen's golden curls. Then it ended.

"Stephen!" Charlie and Stephen heard Vanessa call, and they quickly broke apart, both red in the face. "There's a scratch that I want your opinion on!" she yelled from another room.

"I'll be right there!" Stephen called back, but when he turned back around to talk to Charlie, he was gone. The entrance to the tent was wide open. Stephen sighed and went to find Vanessa.

Charlie was running. He couldn't remember ever running faster. He flew by people calling his name. He ignored his duties and just ran until he found a completely deserted place. Charlie was completely sure where in the preserve he was. It didn't matter to him. Not sure when he had sat down, Charlie found himself on a boulder with his head in his hands. Tears rolled down his face.

He hadn't cried since the day he convinced himself that he couldn't study dragons if he was gay. Then, it was tears of sadness and desperation. Now his tears came due to the fact that his body was showing all the emotions at once. His fists were clenched revealing his own rage at himself. The crying was his sadness at knowing that Stephen couldn't actually love him back. Yet at the exact same time, there was a smile on his face.

At age twenty-two, Charlie had received his first kiss from someone he really wanted a kiss from. His heart pounded, and his face was as red as his hair. The crying soon turned to laughter as he realized that, even though he and Stephen probably wouldn't last forever, that kiss always would. These were his thoughts when the tail hit him.

Charlie was hit forcefully into the ground, and he felt a welt start to from on his forehead. He sprang up, pulling his wand out from his back pocket. Charlie stood face to face with a Chinese Fireball. These dragons were vicious, but Charlie was grateful that it at least wasn't a Hungarian Horntail. He would be a dead man if it had been. He glanced down at the tag on the dragon's ankle. Charlie happened to know the dragon by name. He also knew that she was nesting.

"Shit," he whispered. "Amelinda," he called in a louder voice. "Baby, I'm not going to hurt your eggs. They'll be fine. See I'm going away now." Charlie slowly started backing up when he heard a loud crunch under his foot. He looked down to see the yoke of a broken dragon egg. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" he yelled.

Amelinda breathed out an intense burst of flame from her nostrils. It was the kind of flame that would kill Charlie if a shield charm hadn't been put up around him. Charlie's head snapped around to see Stephen hiding behind a boulder, pointing his wand at Charlie. Protecting Charlie. Just as a smile crept onto Charlie's face, several more wizards and witches ran onto the scene and forced Amelinda back.

When Stephen let his shield down, Charlie ran floppy legged over to him. He collapsed into his arms, tired out from crying and the rush of adrenaline he had received. Stephen held him up and leaned in for what would be the second kiss of the day.

They both found themselves laughing as Stephen practically dragged Charlie to Charlie's own tent. Charlie couldn't even remember why he had been crying before. Stephen did love him. This is what love felt like. The willingness to laugh at things that weren't funny. The feeling of security. The unexpected kisses in between words and chuckles. They were all just right.

Stephen and Charlie stumbled through tent flap and onto the cot. Stephen started fumbled with the straps on Charlie's leather protection, when everything that had just felt right, suddenly felt his doubts returning.

"No!" he said jumping up. Stephen looked taken aback.

"Charlie," Stephen laughed. "I know you're a virgin, but you can trust me." Charlie sat up in his cot.

"It's not that. I don't want this to be another one night stand for you," Charlie said. He stared down at the floor of his tent, terrified that he had ruined everything.

"That's fine," Charlie was surprised to hear. He jerked his head up to see Stephen looking at him in a way no one had before. "We will wait as long as you want. I will never force you to do anything. I will never do anything to hurt you. I will never let anyone break your heart, and that includes me."

Stephen stood up and leaned down to give Charlie a goodbye kiss. He lingered only a moment. Then, he walked out of the tent flap into the night. Charlie took a deep breath and went to sleep with his clothes still on.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie woke to the smell of warm blueberry muffins. This was a welcome change to the usual smell of musk and leather. Charlie moaned as his eyes adjusted to the morning light. Stephen was standing above him holding two blueberry muffins.

"You brought me food," Charlie mumbled as he turned over again.

"Not if you don't get up," Stephen laughed. "I'll end up eating both."

Charlie was pretty confident that Stephen was joking, but he could be too sure. He bolted up in the cot and practically tore the muffin out of Stephen's hand.

Stephen chuckled as Charlie devoured the freshly made muffin. He gently took off the wrapping and broke a small piece of the muffin. He popped it into his mouth, planning on savoring every moment of his delicious breakfast.

"You must have been up at the crack of dawn to get these," Charlie said after he took his last bite. "They're never there by the time I get to the breakfast tent."

"Yeah," Stephen answered, still working on his own muffin. "I can't resist blueberry muffins though. They taste like my mom's. I wake up early anyway."

Charlie nodded, taking in everything that Stephen said. It was becoming apparent that Charlie knew very little about Stephen's life. He knew his personality, and he knew that he liked him, but his past was a mystery. Charlie decided to declare the day "Get to Really Know Stephen Day."

"Where did you grow up anyway?" Charlie asked, wiping his hands on his leather pants and standing up to get ready for the day.

"Hogsmeade," Stephen said. "I never had to take the Hogwarts Express. My mom would just let me walk to the gates where I would jump onto one of the carriages."

"I assumed you went to Hogwarts." Charlie started washing his hands in a stream of water coming from a pump at the back of his tent. "I don't remember you there, but you don't seem like the type who would travel too far to school."

"Yeah, I graduated in '87." Stephen was standing awkwardly in the middle of tent, swinging his arms back and forth. He wanted to help Charlie get ready in some way, but nothing seemed appropriate.

"Ah, so you were already a fourth year when I started. No wonder we didn't have any contact. You don't strike me as the type who befriended first years."

"Yeah that wasn't really me," Stephen laughed. "I guess a lot of people in my house are like that though."

"And which house was that?" Charlie asked. He was ready to go pick up his schedule. He laced his fingers through Stephen's and pulled him through the tent flap.

"Ravenclaw. I was the top of my class too. Everyone expected me to work at St. Mungo's or the Ministry. It was a bit of a shock for my family when I packed my bags for Romania." Charlie nodded. It was becoming clear that most people were shocked when loved ones found an interest in dragons. It was a great mix of people at the dragon reserves. It was never easy to predict who would want to work there.

"The dragons weren't a shock for my family. I had my sights set on them since my third year. My… 'coming out'… was the biggest shock for everyone." Charlie shuddered at the words "coming out." His immediate family had been accepting enough, but distant members were another story.

"When did you?" Stephen asked. "Everyone just kind of knew for me. I honestly don't remember when it became official. Probably when I brought my first boy friend home."

"Fifteen," Charlie answered. "Although, I guess it wasn't 'official' until last night." Stephen glanced over at Charlie, surprised. He had always assumed that Charlie had at least kissed a boy before. It was extra pressure that Stephen honestly didn't want.

They had arrived at the schedule tent. They each received a slip of paper with a list of duties and time for the day. Charlie was to oversee a hatching in a half an hour. Stephen snatched the paper out of his hands before he could read anymore. Stephen held the paper up to his own and compared the schedules.

"Meet me for lunch at one?" Stephen asked handing the paper back to Charlie.

"Yeah, sure." Charlie smiled as he watched Stephen wander off towards one of the infirmary tents. It took a moment for Charlie to tear his eyes away. He headed towards the cave where the hatching would be taking place.

On his way to the cave, Charlie heard the familiar screech of his barn owl Lanus. It had been a week since he had received a letter from his family. He had trained Lanus to bring letters in bunches, instead of one by one. It had started to be too much work for the old owl to constantly fly between Romania, home, Bill in Egypt, and Hogwarts.

Lanus dropped two letters into Charlie's outstretched hand. The first was in Ginny's rushed handwriting that still obviously belonged to a girl. The second was from Bill. Charlie picked up Ginny's first because news of Hogwarts always set his heart at ease.

Dear Charlie,

Ron is stupid. He has pretty much abandoned Harry. I ignore his complaints though. He's such a little prick sometimes. Hermione and I are keeping an eye on Harry while trying desperately to keep peace. Ron is pretty confident that he controls me though. He is convinced that I shouldn't be talking to Harry either. You know I wouldn't be able to stop talking to him, no matter how moody he got. Fred and George are still a little sore about Harry getting into the tournament while they only got beards out of their attempt. They at least don't blame Harry. Keep writing!

Love,

Ginny

Charlie chuckled a little to himself. Ginny was right about what she had said about Ron. Charlie had no idea what Ron had to be mad at Harry about, but he was pretty sure that it was nothing. Sooner or later they would forgive each other. In any case, Harry would need friends to win this tournament. Charlie tucked Bill's letter into his pocket for later. He was running out of time.

When he arrived at the cave, Charlie took out a little leather bound notebook. He liked to draw the dragons when he got the chance, and he had never drawn a recently hatched dragon before. Charlie talent for sketching hadn't been discovered until he had arrived in Romania. There were often times when he needed to occupy himself. Not to mention, it was important to keep notes on each species of dragon to look over later. The illustrations helped Charlie keep his thoughts straight and added interest to his scribbled notes.

For the rest of his life, Charlie would say that there was nothing more beautiful than a dragon hatching. The Norwegian Ridgeback managed to crack just the smallest hole in the rock shell protecting it. From the small hole came it first puff of smoke. After several minutes, the small dragon's head immerged from the egg. Charlie furiously sketched, hoping to capture the first moments of this dragon's life. He constantly switched back and forth between sketching and writing. He took note of specific markings on the dragons body, wrote down the timing for each part of the slow hatching process. He drew the smoke encircling its head and the texture of its unformed scales.

It took a full hour for the dragon to completely free itself from the small world it had known. Charlie witnessed its first steps and the first time that it flapped its wings. It would take a few weeks before it was capable of lifting off the ground, but for now it wandered around the cave making small squawks. Charlie knew that it was looking for its mother who would be arriving with some form of food soon. Dragon mothers were protective, and Charlie knew that it was time for him to take his leave. It was difficult for Charlie to leave the dragon. Its brothers and sisters would be hatching soon. He hoped that his notes had been thorough enough to recognize and tag the dragon later. He always got attached to the newly born dragons. While most of the adult dragons had burnt or scratched someone, baby dragons hadn't done anything yet. They were practically begging to be taught not to fear wizards. Charlie still knew that the dragons were meant to be hostile. He couldn't change their natural instincts. It was necessary to leave them to the training of their mothers.

Stephen's day was a busier one. People were running in and out nonstop. There were minor burns, scrapes, and cuts. There was the occasional major injury, but nothing serious enough to take Stephen's mind off Charlie. He didn't know exactly what came over him the night before. He had always thought that Charlie was attractive, but he never even considered an actual relationship with him. It had been so long since he had had a serious boyfriend. The vow he had given had just come spilling out. Never the less, he meant every word of it. Somehow, Stephen knew that if anything ever happened to Charlie, he would completely blame himself.

As the day wore on, Stephen wished that he was working with the dragons. As one of the main healers, Stephen had two major duties. He spent part of the day healing and administering to the wizards and witches working with the dragons. The other part of the day, he got to do what he really enjoyed. Healing dragons excited Stephen in a way that nothing else did. It was exhilarating to heal something that would fight every helping hand. Stephen loved to see the dragons turn their untrusting glares into looks of pure faith. Dragon healing would not take place until after his lunch break this day unfortunately.

Stephen took a deep breath when he caught sight of his next patient. The man's shoulder had been completely ripped apart. Bone was showing through torn tendons and muscles. Other healers tried in vain to stop the bleeding.

"How did this happen?" Stephen asked using his wand to boil some water for cleaning.

"I was helping to move an injured dragon," the man answered in gasping breaths. "She was obviously terrified."

Stephen tried to ignore the fact that he would much rather be working on the dragon than the man. He used rags to clean the wound as best as he could. Sometimes it was better to do things manually. It was easier to see what one was doing and avoid making spell mistakes. Once Stephen got the bleeding to stop, it was easy enough to wrap up the shoulder and send the man on his way. Stephen gave him a new schedule with activities that would not require much use of his shoulder and told him to return the next day for a follow up treatment. Finally, it was one.

Stephen literally ran out of the infirmary tent. He dashed over to where he knew he would find Charlie. He was coming out of the reporting tent. All researchers had to visit the tent after doing any field work. From looking at his schedule, Stephen knew that Charlie had been watching a dragon's hatching. His eyes were still bright with excitement at seeing something as beautiful a hatching. It was a look that Stephen had seen in Charlie's eyes before. It was the same look he got whenever he had the chance to look into the sensitive lives of dragons.

"How was the hatching, babe?" Stephen asked after hugging Charlie.

"Are we using pet names now?" Charlie answered laughing.

To tell the truth Stephen didn't know what part of his brain told him to call Charlie "babe". It had felt right at the time.

"Sure are!" Stephen answered enthusiastically. He pulled Charlie over to the lunch line. The meal of the day was chili, but Stephen knew how to pull some strings and get something better.

"Marge," he whispered to the girl spooning out the chili. He gestured with his head towards Charlie. Marge smiled, nodded her head, and turned her back on Stephen and Charlie for just a moment before handing a picnic basket to Stephen.

"Thanks," Stephen said with a wink. She winked back and returned to her work. Once again, Stephen grabbed Charlie's hand and pulled him along. Stephen brought Charlie to the very edge of one of the cliffs that the dragon reserve was on. It overlooked a beautiful valley below. Off in the distance there was a small muggle town. The scene was breathtaking, and it made Charlie want to see it at sunset. He could just imagine it bathed in the orange light of the evening.

"Let's come back here tonight," Charlie said when he found his voice. He was surprised at his own words and jumped around to look at Stephen. He was smiling, looking smug and a little full of himself.

"Sure," he answered sitting down and pulling food out of the picnic basket. There was a thermos of pork stew and rosemary bread. Charlie licked his lips in hunger and settled down next Stephen.

Stephen was starting to feel surer of himself when he realized that Charlie was like every other guy. They liked scenic views, good food, and a lover next to them. Stephen wrapped his arm around Charlie's waist and let out a sigh. A relationship felt like a good break.

They both enjoyed the meal put together by Marge. The steamy broth warmed their bodies and souls and made them long for more warmth. What was the way to more warmth? They snuggled in closer together. They ate in silence, but not in an awkward way. There were little pecks on the cheek, returned by long passionate kisses.

When they had finished eating, Charlie rested his head on Stephen's chest and let out a sigh of content. Stephen decided that this was the moment to be forward.

"Babe?" he said breaking the peaceful silence. Still, he found himself whispering, trying to keep some of the calamity.

"Mmmmm?" Charlie hummed back.

"Are you going to the first Triwizard task?" Stephen asked rubbing Charlie's silky fire red hair.

"Yeah. I have four siblings there," Charlie answered. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Have you reserved a tent yet?"

"No. I was going to do that after lunch, but now I'm not sure if I'd be able to bear lunch ending." Stephen chuckled a bit, proud that Charlie was happy.

"Don't bother. I signed you up under my tent. This way, you have more time at lunch. You don't have to hurry away to reserve one." Charlie lifted his head off of Stephen's chest to look deep into his light green eyes. On the inside Stephen was nervous that he had assumed too much, but on the outside he stared steadily into Charlie's eyes. Then, Charlie leaned up to kiss Stephen, hard and forceful.

Stephen laid back, and soon, Charlie was on top of him. Stephen nibbled on Charlie's lower lip, just to see if he liked it. Charlie moaned in response, and Stephen smiled into the kiss. He reached up to un-do Charlie's buttons on his shirt. Charlie abruptly pushed up.

"Clothes stay on," he said without much conviction. He was obviously struggling on the inside. Stephen was glad that he could keep some of his thoughts inside, but Charlie practically wore all his emotions on his skin.

"Fine," Stephen said a bit stubbornly. "Can I grind?"

"Hell no," Charlie whispered into his ear as he leaned back in for more kissing. Stephen knew that he would have to do something soon if he was ever going to get Charlie past first base. Not that he was complaining. Charlie was an excellent kisser.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the ideas or characters affiliated with it. Some characters are of my own creation.

Warnings: Implied sex, possible cursing (didn't really check but that's what I'm assuming.)

Description: Charlie and Stephen prepare for and attend the Triwizard Tournament. Stephen meets certain members of Charlie's family.

* * *

><p>The next days went pretty much the same way. Stephen would wake Charlie in the morning to give him his daily muffin, they would go their separate ways for work, and meet up again later for lunch and some make out. When their schedules fit around each other's, they would enjoy a peaceful dinner together. Stephen continued to make moves of Charlie, and Charlie continued to shoot them down. At the end of each day, Stephen would kiss Charlie goodnight and head to his own tent. For the time being, it was exactly what they each needed.<p>

Charlie realized that soon he would have to adjust to having Stephen sleep at least in the same room as him. They would be sharing a tent at the Triwizard Tournament. The night before they left for the tournament, as Stephen finished kissing him goodnight, Charlie found the words that he was searching for.

"Stay in bed with me," he said more forcefully than he meant to. The worst came out more awkwardly than he expected as well. He had meant to sound seductive, cute, or endearing, really any way other than the way that they had. Stephen chuckled and all too enthusiastically shimmied under the blankets with Charlie.

He started to kiss Charlie, forcing his tongue between Charlie's lips. He pulled Charlie on top of him and put his hands firmly on his ass. Charlie kissed back half-heartedly but quickly pulled away.

"Not for that," he said smiling. "I just thought we'd get used to it for when we share a tent." He rolled off Stephen, and Stephen let out an exasperated sigh.

"You're never going to let me get any action are you?" Stephen said once he had relaxed his breathing a bit.

"You're going to need your rest," Charlie said pushing a strand of hair out of Stephen's face.

"Does that mean I'll get action when I don't need rest?" Stephen asked teasingly. Charlie winked back. He turned to onto his back and tried to seem like he was ready for sleep. Stephen accepted his defeat once again and put an arm lazily around Charlie as he fell into his own slumber.

In all truth, Charlie wasn't ready for sleep at all. He was too excited to relax his body. In just a day he would get to visit Ginny, Ron, Fred, and George. Even more than his excitement was an overriding anxiousness that seeped through his veins. Should he introduce his siblings to Stephen? First of all he wasn't sure how long this thing with Stephen would last. Secondly, his siblings' reactions were a bit unpredictable.

Ginny was easy. She would be accepting. She would try to get to know Stephen. From the day that she understood Charlie's lifestyle, she never judged. Ginny was proud of him for coming out and yet still doing what he loved. Even if she didn't fully agree with Charlie's choice in Stephen as a boyfriend, she would work to learn about him. It would become her mission to see exactly what Charlie saw in him.

The twins on the other hand, were more difficult. George would be the more accepting one, but Charlie was unsure how either would react. From the beginning they had believed that Charlie had a right to love whoever he wanted to love. Still, Charlie got the feeling that a tangible boyfriend would be a shock to the twins, especially since he hadn't written to them about him. At least Ginny was prepared in that way.

Ron would be, by far, the hardest. Ron was an awesome brother in so many ways, but when it came to Charlie's sexuality it was sticky. Ron wasn't against it or anything, but at the same time he wasn't fully with it yet. He would come around eventually to accept Stephen, but those kinds of things took time for Ron. He didn't like change. Adjusting was a challenge to him. Charlie finally settled on letting Stephen decide if he wanted to meet anyone. It was easier that way.

Charlie glanced down at his watch to see that many hours had gone by while he had been thinking. What he had said before had been true. He needed his rest for the next day. They would be traveling by broom with five wizards to a crate filled with a dragon. It would take that many wizards using strong levitation charms to carry the dragons all the way to Hogwarts. If anything went wrong, there would be absolute chaos. With thoughts of correct dragon transportation in his mind, Charlie drifted off to sleep.

"Wake up, babe," Stephen whispered early the next morning. It was barely light out, but Stephen had been awake for hours at the point. The night had been a bit restless with Stephen slipping in and out of boners. It was impossible not to be turned on with Charlie curled up next to him. Charlie let out his usual moan to being woken up. Stephen wondered how Charlie used to get up in the morning without his help.

"What? No muffins?" Charlie asked stretching out his arms and legs, nearly pushing Stephen off the cot.

"Not this morning," Stephen answered between light kisses to Charlie's forehead. "We have to be ready to go soon."

Suddenly remembering the tournament, Charlie leapt out of bed. He scrambled over to his rucksack and started pulling various articles of clothing out of his dresser. He clumsily stuffed his belongings into the bag while Stephen looked on with an amused face.

"If you had done that yesterday, there'd be no need for the rush today," Stephen scolded jokingly.

"Oh shut up," Charlie reproached. "You had better go to your station. You're taking care of the Norwegian Ridgeback, right?"

"Yeah," Stephen answered. He started to button up his shirt which he had loosened for sleeping.

"I have the Hungarian Horntail," Charlie said pulling the drawstring on his bag. "I'll see you at Hogwarts."

"Do I get a kiss for good luck?" Stephen asked. Charlie pulled him by the shirt for a long kiss.

The flight to Hogwarts was easier than Charlie expected. He kept his wand trained directly at the crate where he knew the Horntail was sleeping and followed the other wizards to Hogwarts. When the castle came into view, Charlie was filled with nostalgia. He could still remember walking the halls of the magnificent school. It was fulfilling to see the place that he spent seven years of his life once more. It would still be a few days until the actual task. So Charlie planned to spend as much time as possible, wandering the grounds of his former school. Charlie's team gently dropped the crate to the ground, and several wizards went to move it to the correct location. Charlie sped away to find Stephen.

It didn't take too long to locate him. He was setting up their tent for the night. When he saw Charlie he ran up to him and gave him a long hug.

"How was your flight?" Stephen asked once he had let him go. He set back to work while he listened to Charlie.

"Easy. I think she slept the entire time," Charlie answered. He was absent mindedly staring at Stephen's muscles as he hammered the pegs for the tent into the ground. "And yours?"

"Pretty good," he said. "There was a moment when some idiot put there wand down. The crate dropped a bit, but we were able to get it back up with ease." Charlie nodded. Really it only took four wizards to hold up the crates, but it was expected that someone would lose control or move their wand. So, one extra wizard was given to each crate.

Charlie decided that now was a good time to ask Stephen about meeting his brothers and sister.

"Stephen?" Charlie said.

"Mmmm?" Stephen hummed back.

"How would you feel about meeting some of my family today?" Stephen stopped his work and looked up. Charlie looked into his eyes, desperately trying to figure out what he was feeling, but Stephen's expression was blank. Charlie immediately doubted himself. He figured that he had been too forward.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Stephen said before Charlie could take his question back. "I'm sure that you family is all loving and super supportive, but I've met some really bad people in my life. You need to be positive that they won't be angry."

Charlie wished that he could answer quickly and assertively that his family would adore Stephen, but he truthfully wasn't sure. Most of his siblings had at least accepted that Charlie was gay. Percy was the only exceptive. He hadn't ever really voiced his opinion on the matter, but he acted as if it was a phase. He treated it as though Charlie was just trying to get attention. Charlie knew that deep in his heart Percy would never fully accept it, but Stephen wouldn't meet Percy today anyway. Percy had graduated and was working at the ministry. Charlie's only real concern was Ron.

"My family wouldn't hurt you," Charlie finally answered. "I've already written to Ginny about you, and she really wants to meet you. Fred and George don't know yet, but they kind of like surprises."

"And Ron?" Stephen asked.

"I want to let him get used to the idea before I introduce him to you." It was the truth. Charlie would talk to Ron Stephen when he saw him, but a sudden introduction would do no one any good."

"Okay. I'll meet Ginny, Fred, and George." Stephen had finished putting up the tent. He grabbed both his and Charlie's bags and took them into the tent to start unpacking.

"Well, I don't want to introduce you to everyone and exclude Ron," Charlie said following him. "It doesn't seem fair, and it might get back to him." Stephen nodded to show that he had heard. "Maybe you should just meet Ginny today."

Stephen stood in the forbidden forest, practically shaking with fear. Charlie had left him to find Ginny, promising to bring her back for an introduction. Stephen kept nervously adjusting his sandy brown hair. In Stephen's life he had had only one other real relationship in which he met a family. All the others had kept Stephen almost a secret from the rest of the world.

Stephen saw the two Weasley's hair before anything else. Ginny had flaming red hair just like her brother's. If anything, it was a little less textured and straighter. It flowed behind the thirteen year old as she bounced along next to Charlie. Stephen found that his fear was leaving and that a smile was appearing on his face.

When she saw Stephen for the first time, Ginny took off at a run. She threw her arms around Stephen in a strong but affectionate hug.

"It's so nice to meet you!" she said when she let go.

"You too, Ginny," Stephen answered awkwardly. "I've heard a lot about you."

Ginny smiled, and before long they were discussing things that had changed and stayed the same about Hogwarts. Ginny was capable of setting Stephen at ease. She cracked jokes and laughed at his. Stephen desperately hoped that the rest of Charlie's family would treat him the way that Ginny did.

All too soon, Ginny's break period was over, and she had to return to class. She said goodbye to Stephen and hugged Charlie for a long time. Stephen knew that they weren't sure when they would be seeing each other again. Ginny was staying at Hogwarts for Christmas that year for the Tournament. So it probably wouldn't be until summer. Ginny let go of the embrace and started walking back towards the castle. Stephen laced his fingers into Charlie's while they watched her go.

Charlie could tell that Stephen had enjoyed meeting his sister. He greatly anticipated introducing him to the rest of his family. There was so much joy to be had between the two of them. Charlie could almost see their future together. It was a crazy thought. They had been together only a short while, but Charlie was confident that the only person that he wanted to be with was Stephen. He wanted this thing that they had to be forever.

"Now what do you want to do?" Stephen asked once they could no longer see Ginny. Charlie was lost in his own thoughts for a moment before he answered.

"Do your parents still live in Hogsmeade?" Charlie asked, turning at last to face Stephen.

"My mom does," he answered uncertainly. He knew what Charlie would ask for. Charlie would want to meet his family, but Stephen didn't want that. "We shouldn't visit her though."

"Why not?"

"She's…" Stephen paused. Finding the right word was a bit of a challenge. "Difficult," he finished.

"I thought that your coming out wasn't a surprise."

"It wasn't. It wasn't. I'm her only kid though. I'm really her only family at all," Stephen explained. "Her family kind of abandoned her when she had an affair with a professor."

Charlie was in shock. He didn't know much about Stephen's past, but now that it was coming out, all he wanted to do was hug him.

"Of course, he didn't help her out either," Stephen continued. He hadn't talked about this before, but now that he had started it was easier to finish. "We were alone. I think it drove her a little crazy. She doesn't trust anyone with anything. I guess I'm her most loved and hated possession. She couldn't ever entrust someone with me. When I came out, I think it made her feel safer. I think she thought that I'd never find love."

Charlie wrapped his arms gently around Stephen, pulling Stephen's head down onto his shoulder. Stephen had tears steadily streaming down his face but was silent. He had never cried about his past life, not even while he was a child. Many years of pent up pain flowed out.

"Thank you, Charlie," he whispered.

"For what?" Charlie asked. As far as he knew, he had done nothing helpful.

"For proving my mother wrong."

In that moment, Charlie's fears nearly evaporated. In his little speech, Stephen had mentioned love. He said that his mother didn't believe he would find it. If Charlie was proving his mother wrong, then that meant that Stephen believed that he had found love.

"Let's go back to the tent," Charlie murmured.

Back in the tent, Charlie and Stephen kissed slowly, passionately. It wasn't horny or controlling. The kisses were give and take, both of them knowing what was acceptable. Stephen ran his hands down the buttons of Charlie's shirt, knowing that this time he wouldn't protest. They helped each other out of their clothes and fell onto the cot. Charlie was on top of Stephen, and he was pushing his hair out of his eyes. Charlie wanted to look into those seas of green during this moment. Both knew what was coming, and neither were afraid.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the character or ideas affiliated with it. Some characters are of my own creation.

Warnings: Slight cursing, injuries, sexy times between two males.

Reviews are appreciated. My tumblr is femininehobbit. I am more likely to notice if you message me that way.

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><p>Stephen woke up first the next morning. Charlie was asleep next to him. His hair was fiery bird's nest. Stephen resisted the urge to run his hands through Charlie's hair. Charlie hadn't gotten much sleep the night before; he needed all the rest that he could get. His long eyelashes nearly reached down to his light freckles dotting his fair skin. Stephen smiled at the memory of those eyelashes brushing against his skin. Charlie looked so relaxed, so at peace. Stephen had been afraid that he had been too rough for Charlie's first time, but seeing him like this now calmed his nerves. Charlie looked content and unhurt.<p>

"Baby," Stephen said quietly, not wanting to startle him. If Stephen had his way he would have let Charlie continue sleeping, but they had work to do.

"Ugh," Charlie groaned. "I'm so sore!" He saw Stephen's distressed face and took it back. "No! No!" he laughed. "Don't worry about me. It's a good sore."

Stephen nodded, thankful and leaned forward for a kiss. It was a quick peck.

"What time is it?" Charlie asked when he pulled away.

"Uh," Stephen said glancing down at his watch, "about nine thirty."

"Shit!" Charlie yelled leaping out of the cot. "I'm supposed to meet up with Ron in five minutes!" He frantically pulled his clothing back on. Stephen chuckled to himself. He assumed that for many more years of his life he would be seeing Charlie misjudging time and rushing.

"I gotta go," Charlie said pulling Stephen forward for another kiss.

"You can't just go," Stephen protested. "You smell like sex."

"Hopefully, Ron doesn't know what sex smells like," Charlie called as he ran out of the tent.

Charlie found Ron pretty quickly. He hadn't been missed. Ron had apparently slept in as well and had come running straight from the Gryffindor common room. Charlie pulled Ron into a hug and ruffled his hair. No matter how old Ron got, no matter how he felt about Charlie's life, Ron would always be Charlie's kid brother.

"How've the dragons been?" Ron asked when he pulled out of the embrace.

"Amazing!" Charlie said enthusiastically. "I drew some sketches of a hatching. Do you want to see them?"

Ron nodded, and Charlie reached into his back pocket to pull out his notebook. He only felt the fabric of his pants. Charlie suddenly realized that he had left the notebook in his tent.

"Oh sorry," he apologized. "I left it in the tent. I'll show you some other time."

"Why don't we just walk to the tent to pick it up?" Ron asked. Charlie considered this. He desperately tried to remember Stephen's schedule to no avail. He didn't want to bring Ron to the tent if Stephen was still there.

"I don't want you to see exactly which dragons we have. Can't have you telling Harry, can we?" Charlie joked.

"I wouldn't tell Harry," Ron argued. "I don't tell Harry much anymore."

"Right," Charlie sighed. "Ginny told me about your dumb fight." Ron tried to protest, but Charlie stopped him. "Look, I know that it's easy to get jealous, and we all make mistakes, but you need to clear things up with Harry. He's going to need your friendship more than ever during these games."

Ron searched for words to fight back but could find none. He nodded. "I'll talk to him soon," he agreed.

The two brothers continued their talk for a long time. They caught up on all the things that they didn't mention in letters since they didn't write to each other all too often. Ron soon had to leave and go to his classes. As he got up to leave Charlie made two last requests.

"Ron?" he said.

"Yeah, Charlie?"

"Tell Hagrid that he's welcome to come look at the dragons from a distance," Charlie said. He still had a deep affection towards the old gamekeeper.

"Sure."

"Oh, and remember it's against the rules for you to tell Harry what to expect in the tournament," he reminded.

"_I_ won't tell him," Ron assured him. "But I can't promise that he won't find out."

Charlie laughed and watched his youngest brother walk away. Charlie wandered back to camp hoping that he had helped to fix Harry and Ron's friendship. When he got back, a surprise met his eyes at the camp fire.

Stephen was sitting on a log, laughing uncontrollably. He was sitting in between two red head teenagers that Charlie knew all too well. How they got dragon researcher uniforms was beyond him though.

"FRED!" Charlie yelled. "GEORGE!" The twins looked up in astonishment. While most people who had been caught doing something wrong would look down and look embarrassed, the twins smiled up at him.

"Charles!" Fred called in happiness. "I was wondering if you would join us. Did you know that this eligible young man is gay?" he said pointing to Stephen.

"Of course," George continued. "I'm sure you have plenty of options for a boyfriend in Romania, but I think that Stephen here should go to the top of the list." Stephen just stared dumbstruck. It had obviously not occurred to him that the two young men sitting with him were Charlie's twin brothers.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Charlie asked not sure whether to laugh or scream.

"We heard that you gentlemen had fire whisky," Fred explained. "As you can imagine it's a bit difficult to find it at Hogwarts.

"So Fred had the idea that we borrow some uniforms and just sit down for a glass," George said.

Stephen had finally gotten his bearings. He stood up and walked over to stand next to Charlie.

"You didn't tell me that they were so funny," Stephen said laughing again.

"Ah so you do know each other," George exclaimed.

Charlie took this as a good a time as any to let Fred and George know about his boyfriend. He took Stephen's hands and squeezed it hoping that it was a readable sign for Fred and George. Judging by the way they smiled, they approved.

"Don't tell Ron yet," Charlie implored.

The first task of the Triwizard Tournament went without difficulty. Stephen was kept busy administering to the minor injuries obtained by the champions, and Charlie had to regain control of the dragons after each battle. All too soon, Charlie was saying goodbye to his siblings and heading back to Romania. He would miss his family and the familiar grounds of Hogwarts, but at the same time he missed the beautiful mountains that had become his home.

Charlie left the unloading of the dragons to other wizards. All he wanted to do at the moment was sleep. It had been a little while since he had gotten a real nights rest. Nights had found a new purpose that wasn't sleeping. Charlie hoped that Stephen would be busy for a while and would leave him be.

He drifted off into a dream filled sleep. He dreamt of a future life with Stephen. They had a daughter. It looked as if she was genetically Stephen's. Her hair was the same golden brown as his. Her eyes were possibly an even brighter green than his. The vision of the possibility of having a child with Stephen made Charlie smile in his sleep, but something was shaking him awake.

"Stephen," Charlie mumbled. "If you don't let me sleep I'm not going to have the energy to do fun things with you."

"I know," Stephen whispered. "I was just letting you know that I'll wake you up for dinner. You'll need to eat something. You can't just sleep."

Charlie nodded into his pillow. He was already leaving his waking mind again. This time the sleep was deep and dreamless.

Charlie heard a terrifying shriek. He knew the sound too well. Someone had been hurt by one of the dragons. Without pausing to pull on his leather protection, he burst out of his tent. Lying in a heap on the ground was Stephen. His hands were covering his face. Besides a few scratches on his skin where his leather had torn, there was no serious injury for Charlie to see. Already, several dragon trainers were holding an angry Hungarian Horntail back with shield spells. It had escaped from its shipping crate. Charlie had been against its being used in the Triwizard Tournament. Even the most skilled dragon trainers had difficulties controlling her; it hadn't seemed smart to keep her confined in a crate for several hours. Seeing that no one was tending to Stephen, Charlie ran back to his tent, grabbed his simple healing kit, and dashed to Stephen's side.

"Steve?" Charlie whispered. "Stephen!" he said again this time shouting. Stephen shook with tears. "Steve, I need you to take your hands off of your face. I'm going to help you."

Slowly, with much coaxing, Stephen lowed his hands. Beneath was a gruesome mess. Third degree burns covered his face, even around his mouth. Stephen's eyes were closed and Charlie could see that even his eyelids had been burned beyond repair. It gave Charlie a bit of hope. It meant that Stephen's eyes had closed during the injury. There was a chance that Stephen would keep his sight. Charlie opened his bag. There were several vials for burn treatments, but none for a Hungarian Horntail, none for a burn this elaborate. Mustering his strength, Charlie picked Stephen up and carried him like a baby towards the infirmary tent.

He set him down on the medical table, where once again Stephen curled up and covered his face. Charlie let him be. He would have to face a full life of letting people see his face. Now was the time for him to cover up.

"Oh my God," Vanessa said as she walked into their partition. She gently moved Stephen hands to get a better look. Her hand went up to her mouth. "Oh my God," she repeated. She turned to a cabinet behind her and took out a roll of gauze. Looking back at her patient, she put it back in the cabinet and sat down. She started to cry.

"I don't even know where to start," she choked. "He always took care of the more serious burns. I owe it to him to fix this after all that he's taught me, but I don't know what to do."

"You can help him though?" Charlie whispered. Only then did Vanessa notice the way that Charlie was looking at Stephen and that he was holding his hand.

"Are you two together?" she asked bluntly.

"Yes. I hope that it will be forever," Charlie answered obligingly. "If he doesn't make it out of this, it won't."

"Right," Vanessa nodded. "I'll use some kind of anti-poison to prevent anything in that fire from traveling into his blood stream. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to apply without tearing off any more of his skin." She took out a vial with a small dropper. Charlie let go of Stephen's hand and stepped back. "No. Keep holding his hand. This is going to hurt." Charlie stepped back up just as Vanessa let the first drop of anti-poison drop onto Stephen's face.

Stephen's hand flew out and grabbed Charlie's. He whimpered in pain, and Charlie gripped onto it tightly as if holding onto his life. It took hours for Vanessa to gently spread the solution all over Stephen's maimed face. Charlie stayed through each painful step. Finally, Vanessa took out gauze. Stephen had passed out from exhaustion long ago, but Charlie expected that the pressure of the gauze would awaken him once more.

It didn't. Stephen stayed asleep or at least pretended to be. He cringed every so often. Vanessa carefully taped the gauze on the sides of his face which had been miraculously saved. When Stephen's face had been covered, Vanessa let out a sigh of relief.

"Now we can move on to the easier stuff," she said. She lifted up his arms which had second degree burns on them. He had obviously started to hold them up to protect his face, but had let them fall when the hot fire met them. She cleaned and covered the burns. Then, she moved on to dress the small cuts on his body from falling onto sharp rocks. Finally, four hours after he had arrived, Stephen had been healed as much as Vanessa was capable of doing.

"Thank you," Charlie said. He brushed his hand over Stephen's hair over and over again. Normally he would stroke a cheek, but it was obviously impossible to do.

"No problem," Vanessa said. "You should get going though."

Charlie looked up in confusion.

"To St. Mungo's," she explained. "I've done enough to make him safe for travel, but he'll need their help. I don't know if I got all the poisons out safely."

Charlie nodded. "Is he safe for disappearation?"

"I think so."

Charlie gripped tighter onto Stephen's hand. He took a breath, waved good bye to Vanessa, and disappearated.

Once at St. Mungo's Charlie had issues keeping his own mind under control. It spun around the room, desperately searching for a sign that would tell him where to take Stephen. He located the sign but found that he had issues reading it. He could read the words but they weren't fully reaching his mind.

"Help!" he heard someone screaming. "Help! My boyfriend! He needs help! Help!"

Someone gently took Stephen out of his arms, and Charlie just sunk to the ground wrapping his arms around his legs. How he had kept stable in the infirmary tent was beyond him. Now, he was completely unhinged. Someone helped Charlie up and practically dragged him to an elevator. They pressed the number five. Charlie found his bearings as the doors closed.

"My boyfriend," he said. When he said the word boyfriend he suddenly realized that the person he had heard screaming had been himself. He gulped and tried to keep his voice steady. "My boyfriend was hurt by a dragon. I think he needs to go to the Creature-Induced Injuries floor."

"He's been taken there," said the other person in the elevator. She was a young but strong female nurse. "I'm taking you to the visitor's tea room on the fifth floor. You can wait there until a doctor is ready to give you an update."

Charlie tentatively stepped out of the elevator and into the tea room. There were chairs set up around the perimeter of the room with worried people sitting in each one. Off to one end that was hot water, cups, and tea bags. Charlie poured himself some herbal tea and sat down in one of the chairs. He quickly finished and went back for another. Then another. Then another. Still, he had no news. Finally, while he was drinking his sixth cup of tea, a doctor came in and addressed him.

"He's stable," the doctor explained. "We are currently extracting poisons from his eyes. If we don't he could be left blind."

"How long will that take?" Charlie asked finding his strength once more.

"I'd say about an hour," the doctor answered. "After that we need to figure out the best way to heal around his mouth area. We don't want to much scarring there, or he may not have full use of his mouth."

Charlie nodded. Stephen would live. That much was clear, but by the way that the doctor was talking, it sound like the rest of his fate was still in the dark.

"When do you expect his skin tissue on his face to be completely healed?"

"I don't."

Charlie looked up in astonishment. He wasn't sure that he had heard the doctor right.

"It's not just a normal burn," he explained. "Hungarian Horntails have poisons in their fire that keep the injuries there. I doubt that I can extract them at this point. I expect that he will always have some level of scarring, peeling, and occasionally reopening wounds."

"Oh God," Charlie whispered.

"For now," the doctor continued. "Stay here. Rest. There is a fireplace in the next room that you can use to contact any family members. I'll notify you when he's ready for visitors."

With that the doctor left, and Charlie went back for another cup of tea. He was debating who to contact. In normal circumstances, he would contact Stephen's parents. Charlie wasn't sure if Stephen wanted to see his mother though. He hadn't visited her while they were at Hogwarts, but at the same time Charlie felt obligated to at least tell her the situation. Charlie wanted more than just a crazy mother to be at Stephen's side though. He settled on inviting his own parents and Bill. It was time that they met Stephen, and he would need their support.

Charlie finished his final cup of tea, and walked into the fire place room. He silently praised floo powder in his mind. He couldn't imagine trying to explain everything in a letter.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. My story is simply a speck in the beautiful world of Harry Potter that JK Rowling has created.

Trigger Warning: If vague insanity isn't your thing don't read this. A sexual relationship between a teacher and a student. Mild descriptions of injuries

My tumblr is femininehobbit if you want to directly message me

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><p>"We got here as soon as we could," Molly Weasley gasped and she grabbed Charlie into a lung crushing embrace. She pulled away and stared into Charlie's face. Charlie knew from experience that she was searching for the right kind of behavior to take on. Molly was always good at reading her children's expressions. Charlie tried to fake calmness.<p>

"Bill will be here soon," Arthur Weasley said. "What's his condition?" Charlie proceeded to relay to his parents all that the doctor had already told him. He hoped that they would tell the story to Bill for him. He didn't want to explain it over and over again. He already knew that it was his duty to tell Stephen's mother.

When Charlie had spoken to Mrs. Mabriant through floo powder, it was difficult to get anything across to her. Charlie had to repeat himself multiple times before she realized that Stephen was in the hospital. It took even longer for her to understand how bad the burns were. Charlie was only beginning to understand her mental state. She was functional, but Charlie assumed that she had few close friends. She kept glancing about her nervously, almost reminding herself that she was alone.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley poured themselves some tea and sat down next to Charlie. Mr. Weasley kept a supportive hand on Charlie's knee, and Mrs. Weasley held his hand. Anytime a doctor entered the tea room the three Weasleys would look up expectantly, but they had no luck. No doctor came for them. Finally the door opened and the person opening it was a vaguely familiar face to Charlie. She didn't appear to be looking for Charlie though. She simply plopped herself down in one of the chairs and closed her eyes.

"Mrs. Mabriant?" Charlie said stepping towards her. He hadn't explained Stephen's mother to his parents yet. Charlie realized that it had been a lapse in judgment on his part. His parents were looking on with confused looks on their face. Stephen's mother didn't answer for a moment, as if it wasn't her name.

"Miss Mabriant," she finally answered. She opened her eyes and Charlie was shocked to see Stephen's eyes staring back at him. He hadn't expected them at all. In all her other features, Miss Mabriant looked nothing like Stephen. Her hair was dark brown and her skin was the palest that Charlie had even seen on a dark haired woman. Charlie wondered if her skin tone was hereditary or it came from spending long periods of time indoors. "He left me," she continued. Miss Mabriant was looking through Charlie. It gave off the appearance that she was blind, but Charlie knew that she wasn't.

"I apologize," Charlie said. He was taken aback by her openness about her past. It was so different from Stephen. Stephen would talk if he really trusted you or if he had a hunch that you would understand, but his mother just let it all out.

"He never did." Miss Mabriant's words weren't hostile or angry. She was simply stating facts. It was becoming apparent that all conversations would somehow lead back to Stephen's father. Molly felt the awkwardness of the situation and came to the rescue.

"How about we get some tea and get to know each other a little better?" she asked grabbing Stephen's mother's hand. She led her over the tea and left Arthur and Charlie alone. Charlie let out an exasperated sigh.

"You didn't tell me anything about Stephen's family," Mr. Weasley prompted.

"I can't right now, Dad," Charlie answered. "I think I'm going to wait outside for Bill. I've spent too much time indoors. I'm used to be outside anyway."

Charlie stumbled outside of St. Mungo's and into the crisp air. It was nearly December and already freezing cold. Charlie ignored the chill in his bones and sat down on the curb of the street to wait for Bill. It couldn't be much longer. Bill could Appearate. There was probably work he had to finish before he came. As he waited for his older brother to come, Charlie let himself cry.

It wasn't a waterfall of tears coming down his face, just little occasional droplets. Charlie was terrified. He was worried about the permanent damage that Stephen would be left with. It was already apparent that his eye sight could be lost. Even worse, Stephen could lose use of his mouth. The thought was horrifying. Charlie could just imagine talking to Stephen without feedback. Charlie was already unsure of everything he said. If Stephen lost the ability to speak, he'd have no idea when he'd said something wrong. Then came the least of the doctor's worries, Stephen's skin. Charlie knew that Stephen didn't like to rely on people, but he doubted that Stephen would be able to care for his injuries alone.

"Charlie." Charlie looked up to see a handsome young man with long red hair. There was a dragon tooth hanging from one of his ears and he wore dragon skin boots.

"Bill," Charlie cried leaping up to hug his brother. "Things are so crazy." Charlie let out a sigh. It had been such a long time since he had been able to hug his older brother. They lived so far away and both held busy lives. Letters were nice, but there was nothing like physically sharing their brotherly bond.

"I know," Bill answered. "I'm here now though, and you can vent everything."

"Where to start?" Charlie said with a laugh. "My boyfriend is in the hospital, and no one seems to know what his ultimate outcome will be. My family all lives to far away. Percy will definitely never accept Stephen or me, for that matter."

"Whoa," Bill said. "You're getting off track here. I'd be glad to discuss our prick of a brother later, but let's focus on present issues right now."

"Ok," Charlie answered. "How about, my boyfriend's mother is mentally insane."

"That's a good place to start," Bill laughed. "I only know his first name. You have to fill me in on everything."

"Mabriant. His name is Stephen Mabriant. He's a Ravenclaw."

"Oh yeah," Bill nodded. "I remember him. He was two years ahead of me." Bill paused a moment. "There were a lot of rumors about him."

Charlie looked expectantly at Bill.

"Look, Charlie," Bill said exasperatedly. "I've never met the guy. The things I heard aren't even necessarily bad. They don't matter."

Charlie consented and settled on filling Bill in on everything that had taken place. He guessed that his mother was already speaking to Miss Mabriant. It suddenly occurred to Charlie that he had no idea what Stephen's mother's first name was. He would have to ask Stephen when he got the chance, if Stephen could answer.

After what seemed like an eternity, a doctor finally came to the tea room for the Weasleys and Miss Mabriant.

"He's asleep but you can go to his room now," the doctor explained. "His vision has been completely saved. His mouth, we'll just have to wait and see. His face is currently covered in bandages, but we'll see how much of that he'll need when he leaves."

Charlie nodded and practically sprinted to the elevator. The doctor continued to explain Stephen's recovery plan, but Charlie barely listened. Stephen's vision was safe. He could still stare into Charlie's eyes the way he did before. The doctor directed them to a small room in which there were two beds. In one bed there was a little girl sleeping with long brown hair. Her face was almost completely covered by what seemed to be a large boil. Across from her bed, Stephen slept soundly. His face was completely covered with bandages except for his eyes, and there was a slit in the bandages for his mouth. Next to the bed there were two chairs. Charlie was too stunned at the sight before him to think about manners, but Bill picked up his slack. He helped Miss Mabriant into a chair and turned to Molly. She shook her head and pushed Charlie towards the chair instead.

Charlie gently sat down in the chair and just stared. He wished that someone would say something, or that Stephen would suddenly wake up, but neither happened. The visitors just sat and stood in absolute silence. Charlie glanced over at Miss Mabriant, but she wasn't looking at Stephen. She was looking over him. Sensing that she wasn't going to, Charlie took one of Stephen's bandaged hands in his own and gently rubbed his fingers over the unburned skin.

"Miss Mabriant?" Charlie said after a moment. He couldn't take the silence much longer. She didn't answer but glanced side-long at him. Charlie took this as a sign to continue. "Is Stephen's father in Azkaban?"

"Not anymore," she answered. "He got out when he time was over. He, of course, never checked on either of us."

"I was just wondering because I wanted to know if we should at least write to him and tell him about Stephen's injuries."

"No," she answered. Miss Mabriant didn't elaborate, and Charlie didn't push it. He had heard a noise from Stephen. It was a small moan but the entire room's attention turned towards Stephen.

"Charlie," Stephen groaned. He was definitely awake, but he kept his eyes closed.

"I'm here," Charlie whispered feeling tears coming back.

"Hmmm." Stephen smiled a little. "I feel so tensed up."

"I'd give you a massage sweetie, but I don't see how I could with your burns," Charlie said relaxing a bit now that Stephen was talking.

"Nothing below the belt is burnt," Stephen said grinning even wider, but his eyes stayed closed.

There was an awkward silence in which Bill looked uncomfortably around himself, searching for a way out. Molly Weasley looked a little appalled but couldn't hide a little smile. Mr. Weasley pretended not to have heard Stephen, and Charlie thought that Miss Mabriant literally hadn't.

"Stephen," Charlie said cautiously, barely keeping in a laugh. "Your mom, my mom, my dad, and my brother, Bill are all in the room. They came to visit you."

"Well that's mortifying," Stephen said finally opening his eyes. They were bloodshot from either the poison or the work that had been done on them, but the sea green still comforted Charlie.

"Can you see alright?" Molly asked.

"It's a bit blurry, but it's clearing up. I'm guessing you're Mrs. Weasley."

Molly nodded. "This is my husband, Arthur and my son Bill."

"Pleasure to meet you," Stephen said. "I'm so sorry about my earlier manners. I thought that Charlie and I were alone. I didn't expect a whole room full of people to watch me wake up." Through all this, Miss Mabriant made no move. She was staring at the same place she had been since they had entered the room. She had made absolutely to reaction to Stephen waking up.

"Mom," he said gently prodding her with a bandaged hand. "He's not here." Years of experience had taught Stephen what to say depending on his mother's facial expression. She came back to reality before everyone's eyes. She seemed to be the sanest Charlie had ever seen her.

"Sweetheart," she said acting as though she hadn't noticed that he had woken up. "How are you feeling? Do you want me to get you anything?"

"I'm feeling better. What can you tell me about my future health?" Stephen asked Charlie.

Charlie once again explained everything that he knew. The doctor had explained that Stephen's mouth would have to be re-wounded until he knew that it would heal in a way that would permit Stephen full use of his mouth. This would take at least a week. Then, if everything was in check, Stephen would be allowed to leave.

Bill and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley didn't stay much longer. They had houses and jobs to return to, but Charlie and Miss Mabriant started to prepare to spend the night. A nurse brought up two blankets for them, and as soon as Stephen told her to sleep Miss Mabriant passed out in her chair.

"You're amazing with her," Charlie said in amazement as she lightly snored.

"You will be too," Stephen assured him. "Once you get to know her. I just didn't want to scare you. I hoped you would get a better chance to prepare before meeting her."

"Don't worry about me," Charlie said. "Worry about yourself. Or better yet, let me worry about you." Stephen smiled at Charlie. He was so supportive. It was almost sickening, but it wasn't. Stephen was grateful.

"Thank you."

"Stephen," Charlie said. "I just have one question."

"Mmmhmmm?"

"What's her first name?"

"Bronwyn."

"That's an interesting name."

"It's Welsh," Stephen explained. "It means pure, I think. So, she kind of abandoned that."

"Did she love him?" Charlie found himself asking.

The question surprised Stephen. It wasn't like Charlie to ask questions like that, awkward questions.

"I don't know," Stephen answered truthfully. "I think so. She may be crazy, but she's also smart. I don't think that she would just throw herself out there, and it definitely wasn't for grades. So, in simple words, she loved him."

"That's sad," Charlie said. He climbed onto the bed and pressed as close up to Stephen as he felt wouldn't hurt him. "Did he love her?"

"Now that's the true question," Stephen said. "Did he love her? She doesn't share much with me about that. I don't know how he reacted when he found out that she was pregnant. They were discovered pretty quickly, and he was sent to Azkaban. He wasn't let out until I was in my seventh year. I've only met him once. He wouldn't look at me. He just said, 'Sorry.' and walked away."

"Do you think she misses him?"

"Charlie," Stephen said a little exasperated. "I just told you that she loved him. I think that she misses him."

"I know. I know, but if he didn't really love her back she would have been hurt. Maybe she fell out of love."

"I don't think that's possible," Stephen said. "I think that people who say that they love each other will always love each other. Sometimes it just gets messed up."

"I love you," Charlie whispered.

"I love you too. I don't care if we this gets fucked up. I'll always love you. You'll always love me."

"Do you want to place bets on who messes things up?" Charlie asked laughing.

"Well, it won't be me," Stephen said joining in the laughter. "I'm betting five galleons that it won't be me."

"I'm willing to take part in that bet," Charlie agreed. They shook on it and broke into a fit of laughter.

"How awkward will it be if we break up, and someone has to hand over money?" Charlie asked.

"I guess we just can't break up then."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the genius creations affiliated with it. Various characters are of my own creation.

Warnings: Implied sexy times between two males. Fighting between a son and father. Sexual relationship between student and professor. I don't know if any of this would disturb anyone, but just keep those things in mind.

My tumblr is .com I am more likely to receive messages if you send them that way. Sorry that this is a little late. I got used to being able to steal my brother's laptop while he was away. Now he's back so I'm put behind a little.

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><p>After a week of painful work being done on his mouth, Stephen was released from the hospital. The doctor came in to give Charlie final instructions for his care.<p>

"The bandages on his face must be changed every day," the doctor began. "The bandages on his arms can be changed less frequently. You can change those every three days."

Charlie could feel Stephen tense up next to him. He was still getting used to the idea of constantly wearing bandages for the rest of his life.

"Is there any time when he doesn't have to wear the bandages?" Charlie asked.

"They are more to keep the wounds clean. They will probably never fully heal. If you're going somewhere where you doubt, they could get infected, then you can take them off. I recommend wearing them most of the time, though."

With the doctor's advice, Charlie and Stephen prepared to go back to Romania. They stepped into the lobby and disappearated. Back in Romania, they both headed straight to Charlie's tent. It had been decided that Stephen would give up his tent, and stay full time with Charlie so that his wounds could be monitored at all times.

Stephen plopped down on the cot. He pulled Charlie towards him.

"I don't want this," Stephen whimpered.

"Don't want what?" Charlie asked.

"I don't want bandages completely covering my face. I don't want scabs covering it either. I don't want to constantly be in pain, and I don't want people to stare at me."

"I know, baby," Charlie said running his hands through Stephen's hair. He could no longer touch his face. It hurt Stephen too much. "Does it hurt a lot? I can go grab you some pain killer."

"No," Stephen sighed. "It isn't that kind of hurt. It's just subtle, always there to remind me of what I've lost."

"I can't stand to see you sad," Charlie said wishing that there was something that he could do.

"Then go to sleep," Stephen answered. "You look tired, and I like to watch you sleep." Charlie settled into Stephen's arms and drifted to sleep.

The next day Charlie and Stephen went to their separate duties. He was barely an hour into his work when Stephen came up to Charlie. Stephen was practically shaking with anger.

"Fucking douche bags!" Stephen shouted. Charlie ran over to him as Stephen fell onto the ground. Charlie had never seen anyone this angry. Stephen looked like he would kill someone if they made a wrong move. He wrapped his arms around Stephen.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Some bastards called me an idiot!" Stephen spit.

"What?" Charlie asked confusedly.

"They said that only a homo would be as dumb as I was to get this badly burned by a dragon." Stephen was seething with anger, and Charlie had to keep himself in check. He knew that he couldn't get angry as well.

"They were just being jerks. People like that are everywhere."

"No!" Stephen shouted. People were started to stare at the scene. "The issue is that I am an idiot. Not every gay is though. Look at you! You don't have scabs and burns covering your face like some crazy serial killer."

Charlie decided that this wasn't the place to be having this discussion. He lifted Stephen to his feet and led him to their tent. He sat Stephen down on the cot and gave him a mug of water from a pump.

"You are not an idiot," Charlie said looking into Stephen's face. "What happened was an accident. You are still beautiful."

"You mean beautiful on the inside," Stephen said angrily. "I wasn't even beautiful on the inside until you came along. I was a jerk, and I still am. I am nothing."

"No," Charlie said. He wanted to be forceful and defiant, but the word came out a little hurt. If Stephen saw nothing in himself, it almost made Charlie feel like he had made a mistake in dating him. "You are beautiful both on the outside and the inside. You don't need me for that."

"Please, shut up," Stephen snapped. "I don't want to talk to you. I just want to die. I'm nothing. I'm nothing." He kept chanting it to himself, as if it was a mantra. Charlie sat back into a chair and listened to the words slowly changed.

"I'm nothing. I'm nothing. I'm nothing. You're nothing. My mom's nothing. My fucking !#$%^&* of a father is nothing. Your family is nothing. I'm nothing. I'm nothing." Charlie reached out to touch his shoulder. He knew that Stephen didn't mean anything that he was saying. Stephen hit Charlie hard in the face with his arm. Charlie got the message and left him alone.

Charlie wandered around the camp until he came to the tent of one of his friends. Lucas would still be out doing his duties as, and Charlie knew that he would mind if he used his fire to contact Bill. He stepped into the tent and started a fire. Before long he was looking into Bill's living room fire place.

"Bill," Charlie called into the room.

"Charlie?" Bill said amusedly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Charlie said already feeling better now that he was looking at his brother.

"How's Stephen faring?" Bill asked. "I see…" he said seeing the expression on Charlie's face.

"He's just really…" Charlie searched for the words, "Lost."

"Then, as his boyfriend, you have a duty," Bill said.

"I know," Charlie objected. "What can I do though? I tried just getting him back into his work, but some rude idiots scared him off." Bill shook his head.

"You have to get him away from his work. Let him come to peace with his injury first. There's no need for others to get used to it before he does."

Charlie thought about Bill's words. A vacation may be exactly what Stephen needed. It would give them a chance to be alone. Stephen could take some time to see how much he could heal. Charlie doubted that Stephen had ever taken a vacation before. It didn't seem like the type of thing that Bronwyn would be up for.

"Thanks, Bill," Charlie said. "I'm going to take him away for a little while."

"There you go!" Bill shouted. "Where are you guys going?"

"I don't know yet. We're just going to go. We'll start in Scandinavia and go from there."

"Why Scandinavia?"

"It's the first place that popped in my mind!" Bill laughed. He was always more than happy to see his brother happy again.

"You're such a kid sometimes," Bill said.

"I gotta go now, Bill," Charlie said ignoring his remark. "I have to excuse us from work, and tell Stephen that we're going."

"Wait," Bill called before Charlie could leave. "Keep this trip a little serious. You might want to find his dad. It might put him a little bit at rest." Charlie nodded in acknowledgment of Bill's idea. "Also, don't forget protection!" With those final words that Charlie didn't want to hear from his brother, Bill disappeared and Charlie got up to clear himself of his duties for a while for his trip.

It was easy enough for Charlie to get out of a month of work. Everybody had heard of Stephen's accident, and believed that a vacation would be good for him. People were more than willing to take over their shifts, and many wished Charlie luck with a wink. They probably thought that Charlie and Stephen would be sealing the deal on their trip. It amused Charlie that they had no idea about what they had done their first night at Hogwarts.

When Charlie stepped into the tent, Stephen was asleep. Charlie took a wild guess and decided that he had cried himself to sleep. He almost didn't want to wake him up. Charlie knew that while he was asleep Stephen probably felt safer, but Charlie wanted to get going as soon as possible. He sat down on the cot and wrapped his arms around Stephen.

"Stephen, baby," Charlie whispered softly into his ear.

"I'm so sorry," was the first thing that Stephen said as his eyes fluttered open. There were already tears welling up inside them. "I didn't mean what I said. You aren't nothing. You're everything."

"Shhh," Charlie hushed him. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean it."

"No, listen," Stephen objected. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're family is wonderful. I was just…. Upset."

"We're going away for a little while," Charlie said smoothing his hair back, carefully avoiding the scars on his face. "You need a vacation." Stephen let out a sound that sounded like a sigh of relief.

"That sounds wonderful," he said closing his eyes. "Let's go now."

"That's the plan," Charlie laughed. "One condition."

"Hmmmm?"

"Part of this trip will be spent meeting your father."

"Okay. I don't have to like him though." Charlie looked down at Stephen. He was asleep in his arms. He had been surprised by Stephen's easy going answer. He had expected more of a fight, but Stephen was obviously too tired for that. Charlie thought better of his plan to leave that moment. Stephen needed his rest.

"Wake up, Charlie," Stephen called noisily into Charlie's ear the next morning.

"Ugh," Charlie said. He would never be a morning person. It was becoming clear to Stephen. "I'm up."

"You said that we were gonna go yesterday," Stephen complained. "We're running out of time to have sex as many places as possible!" He sounded like an excited child. Charlie had guessed correctly. This was basically his first vacation.

"You needed your sleep," Charlie laughed. "We'll pack up and go right away."

They both packed a trunk of the necessities. They left their protective leather out to be worn when they got back. This trip was strictly pleasure, no work, unless you counted finding Stephen's father as work. Charlie took Stephen's hand, and smiled. Whatever had happened to the rest of his face, Stephen's eyes still shone out at Charlie. Charlie leaned forward to kiss Stephen, and they disappearated.

Charlie led them to a tight alley way in a small fishing town. It was a bit chilly, but Charlie had warned Stephen to wear a sweater. Salty sea air hit their faces, and Stephen turned to Charlie, practically laughing with excitement.

"Where are we?" he asked. "The air feels amazing here!"

"Gilleleje, Denmark," Charlie answered pulling Stephen out of the alley way and onto the sidewalk.

"Denmark," Stephen said back mesmerized by the scene before him. The houses and shops were all close together and just feet away were the docks. People were running about, too busy to notice Stephen and Charlie stepping out of the alley. There was the smell of fish all around them, but there was another smell too. Close by there must have been a bakery because the smell of fresh bread was overtaking Stephen's senses. "What are we going to do first?" he asked.

"I was thinking that we grab some breakfast," Charlie said. He pulled Stephen into an embrace. It was so relaxing to see him happy again. He wrapped his arms around Stephen's waist. "Then I thought we could go for a little boat ride."

"Thank you," Stephen whispered nuzzling his head into the crook of Charlie's neck. "This is great." They stayed like that for a few moments. Charlie even debated staying like that and forgetting the rest of their trip.

"Come on," he said pulling away. "We have tonight for that kind of thing."

They walked along the sidewalk casually taking in the shops and little houses. They had shabby paint, but no one looked exactly poor. They just looked more concerned with happiness and work than the paint that covered their houses. Everyone wore a sweater, and most wore hats. The fishermen wore slickers even though it wasn't raining. Finally Charlie and Stephen came to the bakery from which the mouth watering smells were coming from.

Charlie pulled open the door, and it jingled with little bells. He held his arm out for Stephen to go in front of him, and watched as Stephen's mouth began to water. There were freshly baked breads, pastries, and pies all waiting to be sampled.

" !#$%^&*," Stephen said laughing. "I have no idea what to get!"

"Then let me choose for you," Charlie answered walking up to the counter at which a young woman with insanely curly hair pulled into a braid waited for their order. "To snegles, bedes," Charlie said to the woman. She nodded and reached under the counter to pull out what looked like cinnamon buns. Charlie handed her some money and led Stephen out of the bakery. They sat down on a bench to eat outside.

"One question," Stephen said as he took his first bite. If it was a cinnamon bun, it was the best he had ever tasted. It wasn't too sweet, but it was dry either. Perfection was the only word for the pastry.

"Sure," Charlie answered digging into his own snegle.

"How on earth did you learn Danish?"

"Charms can do anything," Charlie answered with a smile.

They quickly finished their breakfast and rented a row boat. Charlie took Stephen far out onto the ocean. They stayed out and did some kissing until it was nearly sundown. Stephen gently pulled away from Charlie.

"We should get back," he said reluctantly. Charlie knew that he was right, but he never wanted to leave the boat. It rocked gently with the tide. From the boat they had a view of both the town and all the fishing boats out on the water. Being out on the water made Charlie wish that he could abandon his job and buy a houseboat to live on with Stephen. Still, Charlie knew that it was smarter to get back to the docks. It might take time for Stephen to adjust to the place they were staying that night.

They took the boat back to the dock and thanked the man who had lent it to them. It was already starting to get colder, and Charlie had sent their trunks to the house that they were staying at. Stephen sensed that Charlie was cold and wrapped his arms around him. His arms were warm and strong. They showed no sign of the weakness that he had been feeling only the day before. Charlie desperately hoped that it was a sign that he was better. The vacation could permanently heal him. Things would be easier once they got meeting his father out of the way. With any luck, that would be taken care of that night.

Charlie knocked on the door of a faded red town house. Stephen smiled at him. He convinced himself that they had a room from which no one else in the house could hear anything. A well dressed man in his fifties opened the door. He was almost completely bald and wore round glasses. His skin was lightly tanned and he had a round nose that nearly covered his face. He was fit for his age, but he had obviously had a difficult life.

"No," Stephen said immediately turning around.

"Stephen, you promised," Charlie said pulling him back and giving the man a reassuring smile.

"I'm not talking to him!" Stephen shouted, but Charlie was pulling him through the door. Stephen struggled, but Charlie was just a little stronger. He forced Stephen down onto a sofa in the man's living room.

"Just let him talk to you," Charlie pleaded nervously. Stephen would normally insist to leave, but something in the tone of Charlie's voice made him stay.

"How did you even find him?" Stephen growled. He had secretly hoped that Charlie would be incapable of finding his father and give up his plan.

"There is a library at the dragon preserve," Charlie explained. "I started my research from the moment we got back."

"Of course you did," Stephen sighed exasperated. "So, Dmitri, how has life been treating you?"

"Of late," the man said in a wheezy voice. "It has been good. It wasn't always." Stephen looked at him with pure hatred in his eyes. It was a stare that Charlie never wanted to be on the receiving end of.

"Yeah," he answered with a cocky, bitter grin on his face. "I hear there aren't a lot of innocent girls to !#$%^&* in Azkaban." Dmitri looked taken aback, but regained his composure quickly.

"It wasn't like that, Stephen," he argued. He was desperately clinging for some kind of meaningful excuse. Charlie found himself wishing that he would find one.

"Oh," Stephen said with false laughter. "I see. You didn't get her pregnant when she was sixteen. I'm not actually your kid. Well thank God; I wouldn't want to be your son."

"I wanted to wait. I told her we should wait until she was at least seventeen."

"You couldn't over power her. Are you telling me that she forced you to have sex with her?"

"No," Dmitri sighed. He sat down in an arm chair. "All her friends had boyfriends. They were all having sex. She felt left out. Never underestimate the power of a jealous teenage girl."

"Luckily I don't have to," Stephen said locking an arm with one of Charlie's. "Not until we have a daughter, anyway." Charlie couldn't help but get excited in that moment. It wasn't the time or place to be excited about mile stones in his relationship, but Stephen had just mentioned children. He stopped himself from day dreaming about that future.

"I'm sorry. I have been since the day it happened." Stephen tried to interrupt him, but Dmitri held a hand up. "Let me finish. I don't mean that I was sorry when I found out that she was pregnant. I was sorry as soon as we finished." Stephen made a face of disgust. Like anyone, Stephen didn't like the thought of his parents having sex. "She was too young. I was too old for her. Stephen, I love your mother, but if I could go back, I would break up with her. No, I'd never let the relationship start at all. It was bound to end badly." Stephen was looking down at his hands. He didn't want Dmitri or Charlie to see the tears in his eyes.

_My poor mother_, he kept thinking. She had been an innocent sixteen year old, suddenly faced with a child with a man fourteen years older than her.

"You love her," Stephen said. His voice was shaking. He steadied his voice as best as he could, but he had limited control over it. "You love her, but you abandoned her. She has no one, just me."

"She doesn't want me in her life," Dmitri argued.

"SHE HAS NO ONE!" Stephen shouted. "How do you get this across to you? She has gone mad with loneliness! Her family lost all their faith in her when she got pregnant! You were the only person she had when you got taken away! Her only human contact is me and the people who come to her book shop!" Stephen took a breath and noticed that he was sobbing. He wasn't used to crying. It was tiring, but the last two days had been filled with it. "She's gone mad," he whispered. Dmitri hustled over to the couch and held his son for the first time in his life.

"What can I do?" he asked. Stephen pushed him away and glared at him the way he had before.

"Go to her." Dmitri nodded, and without another word, he disappearated. Stephen and Charlie were left alone in the town house.

"He loved us," Stephen said to himself. He had almost forgotten that Charlie was also in the room. "He loved us all that time, but he didn't visit us. He didn't even write to her."

"I'm glad that you spoke to him," Charlie said reassuringly. Stephen spun around a looked at him, but the look in his eyes was not one of anger or love. It was almost as if he didn't recognize the man before him. The look in his eyes was almost identical to the one that his mother wore. It amazed Charlie that eyes could be so expressive and yet so blank at the same time.

"I'm going to bed," Stephen said tiredly. Charlie decided to leave changing his bandages for the morning. He watched as his boyfriend, more heartbroken than ever, trudged up the stairs. It occurred to Charlie that Stephen didn't know where their room was. Charlie expected that he would just lie down in the first bed he found. He knew that Stephen wanted to be alone; so, he curled up the couch to sleep there.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Guess what guys? I own Harry Potter! No I'm just kidding. I really don't. I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!

Warnings: I don't know... homosexuality? Not that it should bother anyone who is reading up to this point. There might be some cursing, possibly sexy times. If mentally unstable people trigger you in any way, don't read on. Stephen's mother plays a big part in this one.

I'm in a weird mood; so, if any part of the Disclaimer or Warnings sound like I'm high, there's your reason. My tumblr url has been changed from .com to .com. I will definitely receive messages sent there. Feel free to write a review. They are super helpful and make me feel good. I will be trying to update every Monday from this point forward.

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><p>Charlie was surprised to wake up with Stephen standing over him. He expected Stephen to want to sleep in. He was once again holding blueberry muffins in his hands. Charlie rubbed his eyes and sat up.<p>

"Are you feeling better?" he asked. He took a blueberry muffin from Stephen's hands and started to peel off the paper cup.

"I guess," Stephen grumbled. He sounded bitter. Charlie feared that he had ruined the rest of their trip by introducing Stephen to Dmitri so soon.

"You certainly got up early," Charlie said. He had already finished his muffin within seconds. Stephen handed him a glass of orange juice to wash it down.

"Charlie," Stephen said slightly annoyed. "It's ten o'clock."

"Exactly." A slight smile appeared on Stephen's face.

"You're lazy," he said leaning forward to kiss Charlie.

"Not always," Charlie retaliated. He nervously pulled Stephen towards him. He tried to make it look like he knew what he was doing, but in truth Stephen was usually in control of these things.

"Charlie," Stephen warned. "Normally, I'd be all for this." He took a pause, and started to pull himself up. "We are currently on my father's couch. I do not feel comfortable, and frankly, neither should you."

"Right," Charlie said awkwardly. "Sorry." Charlie watched Stephen finish his breakfast in silence. Charlie wondered what made Stephen wake up early all the time. It was a question for another time. For now, he would let Stephen mentally and emotionally rest.

"Where are we going today?" Stephen asked dusted crumbs off his hands.

"I was thinking India," Charlie said forgetting the uncomfortable experience he had just had. "You're going to love the beaches."

"How do know?" Stephen said laughing. "You've never been to India." Charlie shrugged.

"They're beaches," he answered. "I think I'd like them no matter where they were."

Charlie had been right. Within minutes of arriving on a warm Indian beach, Stephen was fast asleep on a beach blanket. Charlie could practically see his skin getting tanner and his hair getting blonder. He was snoring just slightly, but Charlie only noticed how adorable he looked while he slept. He limbs were all spread out. His image completely contradicted that of his waking form. While he was conscious, Stephen looked strong, independent, and put together. While he slept he was childish, carefree, and at all over the place. Deciding that Stephen would be asleep for quite awhile, Charlie decided to go for a swim.

He took off his shirt and started running towards the water. The second he left, Stephen's eyes fluttered open. He refrained from calling to Charlie but enjoyed the view instead. Stephen marveled at Charlie's toned back. While his own back was lean and slightly muscled, Charlie's showed a strength that he hid a little in his personality. It wasn't the gross kind of muscle, but it was definitely muscle. Stephen put his head down and slept some more.

When he woke up, Charlie was back next to him. The rest of the beach was deserted, but they liked it that way. There was no need for them to be scared of people judging their love or notice that Charlie was absent mindedly shooting sparks at a pebble to watch it skid across the sand. He looked lost in thought and hadn't even realized that Stephen was awake.

"What are you thinking about," Stephen asked looping his arm Charlie. Charlie looked up abruptly. He smiled at Stephen.

"You," he answered turning back to his pebble.

"Glad to hear it," Stephen chuckled starting to kiss his neck. "What are you thinking about me?"

"I'm trying to figure out how you're feeling," Charlie answered returning the kisses. Stephen stopped unexpectedly.

"Do you really want to know?" Charlie nodded.

"I feel like everyone pities me, and everyone always has." Stephen was grateful that Charlie didn't interrupt him or try to prove him wrong. He just sat back and listened. "When I was kid, people pitied my entire existence. They thought that it was sad that I was born." He spit the sentence out. It was true. The stares that he had received as a child still stung as if they had just been given to him. "Then, I went to school. I got pity from my teachers. They assumed that I had it difficult at home; so, they went easier on me. I got letters from long lost family members inviting me to stay with them. They expected me to pack up my bags and leave my mother the way that they had." Stephen wasn't crying as he had the night before. He sentences were dry but irritated sounding. He shook ever so slightly, but no tears were coming down his face, and his voice did not falter or crack. "People pitied me when they realized that I liked boys the way that I'm supposed to like girls. They assumed it was some kind of gap in my mind after years of trouble. They never thought that it could possibly be because I really did like guys." Charlie picked up Stephen's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He had gone through so much, but Charlie wouldn't let it go on any longer. "I thought that I had escaped the pity at last. I had boyfriends that no one judged me for. Of course that changed nothing; people pitied me because they thought that I was unhappy with the string of lovers. Finally," Stephen said smiling and turning towards Charlie. "I found you. You were the cure. People finally saw that I had something good. They didn't pity me anymore; they envied me. They wanted to be me because I had someone as good as you. Of course, something had to bring the pity back."

"I don't pity you, Stephen," Charlie whispered lightly brushing his thumb over the skin of Stephen's hand. "I never did. I envied that fact that you found it so easy to find guys to date you. I couldn't." Stephen kissed Charlie on the forehead and leaned his own head against Charlie's shoulder. The sun was setting on the ocean, but Charlie had packed a tent for them to sleep in. There was no need to leave.

"I'm sorry that I forced you to meet him," Charlie apologized.

"Don't be. I needed to make him go back to her. I also needed more of the story. I was missing a lot. I always kind of assumed that he had taken advantage of her. In a way he did, but maybe it makes it better that she instigated it and that he was against it at first. Didn't matter much. I'm still here."

"Something good came out of it then," Charlie whispered. He started to lie back, forgetting about the tent. Stephen rolled on top of him. His lips found Charlie's, and he started gently sucking on the bottom one. Charlie groaned as his hips jerked up into Stephen.

Stephen's mouth traveled down his chin and onto his neck. He gently nipped and sucked and marks were sure to be seen in the morning. Charlie let out of gasp of breath as Stephen's bare chest met his own. He let his hands travel down Stephen's back and onto his ass. He pulled Stephen closer than one would think was possible and they gently rutted against each other. All the while, Stephen slowly traveled down Charlie's neck and chest until he reached Charlie's left nipple. He gave it a tug with his teeth, and Charlie let out a vociferous groan. Stephen chuckled a little and did the same to the other with the same effect.

"I didn't pack lube," Charlie said gasping after his second groan. "I am a fucking retard. How did I forget lube?"

"Shhh," Stephen said coming back up to kiss him again. "We'll buy some at our next stop. For now, we'll just do this."Charlie showed his consent with another moan. He couldn't believe how good it felt to have Stephen rubbing up against him like this.

Charlie must have blacked out at some point because the next thing he remembered was waking up to Stephen carrying him to an already set up tent. It was pitch black out with just a few stars offering light. Charlie could hear the surf of the ocean, but he wouldn't have been able to say where it was coming from.

Stephen gently laid his down on the cot and started to take off his clothes. He left Charlie only in his boxers and started to take off his own pants, socks, and shoes.

"I meant what I said you know," Charlie said sleepily.

"What's that, love?" Stephen asked lying down next to Charlie and putting a protective arm around him.

"Your existence is a good thing," Charlie said closing his eyes. Stephen laughed a little at Charlie's sleepy insensitivity and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek.

"Thank you," he whispered, but Charlie was already fast asleep. Stephen closed his eyes, but he could sleep as easily as Charlie did. His mind was plagued with restless thoughts.

_Had it been wise to just send his father to his unstable mother?_ She could easily lose control and go into some kind of trance and hurt herself or others around her. He didn't know what kind of effect seeing her old lover would have on her. Dmitri had no idea what he was in for. Stephen had said that she had gone mad, but nothing could possibly prepare him for what he was about to face.

Dmitri walked down the streets of Hogsmeade with his heart pounding in his chest. He was looking for Mabriant Books. Even when she was sixteen Bronwyn had always spoken of opening a book store. Books had been something that someone could never tear her away from, never make her forget no matter how crazy Stephen had said that she had become.

Dmitri smiled at the name. Stephen was probably unaware that his father had named him. When his flustered student and girl friend had first come to him frantic with worry after discovering her condition, they had immediately decided to name the unborn child. They both realized that Dmitri would probably be taken away to Azkaban as soon as anyone discovered that Bronwyn was pregnant. She had wanted Dmitri to be a part of naming the baby though. She had chosen the name Paulette if the baby had been born a girl. Dmitri chose Stephen if the baby was a boy.

Dmitri arrived at a shabby looking shop with "Mabriant Books" written in faded gold calligraphy. He opened the door and stepped inside. The sight in front of him was a shock. Dmitri still remembered Bronwyn as the beautiful, young, vibrant Ravenclaw that he had fallen in love with. Now, he was faced with a woman only a shadow of her previous beauty and charm.

Bronwyn's dark hair was sleek and voluminous but lank and no longer shimmered in the light. There were dark circles around her blue green eyes. Her skin, which had once been olive toned, was now pale to the point of almost being see through. Dmitri's eyes began to tear. He blamed himself.

"CHARLIE!" Stephen was screaming while vigorously shaking Charlie.

"What?" Charlie mumbled a little irritated. He looked at his watch. It was too in the morning, early even for Stephen.

"WE HAVE TO GO!" he was yelling as he lept up off the cot and started running around taking the tent apart.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked. He listened for noises outside. There had been a death eater scare at the Quidditch World Cup, but he couldn't hear anything, and he doubted any dark wizards would come for them.

"It's my mom," Stephen said. He was gasping for breath and having a panic attack. He brought his hands to his hair and sank to the ground. He looked grief stricken and scared. "Dmitri's beating her! I saw it! I swear I saw it!" Charlie let out an inaudible sigh of relief.

"Stephen," he said gently kneeling down next to him. He put his arm around Stephen and pulled him into an embrace. "It's alright. It was just a dream." Stephen's breaths gradually slowed and became more controlled.

"Right," he said at last. He took a gulp. "Just a dream. Nothing more. Just a dream."

"Shhhh," Charlie hushed. He rocked Stephen back and forth, willing him to fall back asleep.

"Charlie?" Stephen mumbled.

"Yes."

"Can we visit her in the morning? I want you to really meet her."

"Sure. We'll go first thing in the morning." Stephen nodded and fell back asleep in Charlie's arms. Charlie continued to rock him until he was sure that he would sleep through the night. Charlie brought him back to the cot and laid him back down to sleep. This time it was Charlie that put the protective arm around Stephen.

Bronwyn had been lost in thought when Dmitri walked through the door to her humble book store. At first, she assumed that she had died and was seeing a ghost. She couldn't remember if she had eaten in a long time. She usually just ate any time that she got a letter from Stephen telling her to do so, but she could never remember how long ago that had been.

Stephen reminded her to do everything. He did away with niceties in his letters. They weren't unloving, but they were to the point. The letters were what Bronwyn needed. They were usually the same.

Dear Mom,

Lock the doors if you're going to bed right now. Order the books that you're low on. Take a shower. Change your clothes. Eat something. Drink something.

Love,

Stephen

When she didn't get the letter at night she forgot to lock the door. As soon as she got the letter, she did exactly what it said. She didn't do those things unless the letter told her to. It was entirely possible that she hadn't eaten or had anything to drink in a long enough period of time to kill her, but something told her that Dmitri wasn't dead.

With the little strength she had, Bronwyn sprinted towards Dmitri and cried into his arms. She had assumed that he hadn't thought about her since he had been put in Azkaban. She thought that he didn't love her anymore. She expected him to leave her for her mistake the way that everyone else had.

"Bronwyn," Dmitri whispered into her hair. He could feel her tears soaking his shoulder. He would never forgive himself for what he had done to the child.

"Dmitri," she smiled at him through her tears. "I'm tired now," she explained. "We'll talk in the morning. She immediately fell to the floor and curled up there to sleep.

Dmitri picked her up and took her up the back stairs. He found her room and put her on the bed. It obviously hadn't been slept in for ages. Dmitri figured that she just slept wherever she was standing when she felt tired. Stephen had mentioned that things were bad, but he never expected them to be like this. Dmitri slept in a chair at the end of her bed.

"Please get up, Charlie," Stephen pleaded. "I have to go check on my mom." Charlie looked at his watch. It was eight. Stephen had at least waited that long.

"Ok," he answered stretching. "Let's go."

They packed up their things and prepared to go. Charlie knew not to disregard dreams completely, but something told him that Bronwyn would be alright when they got there. It hadn't seemed like Dmitri would want to hurt her, but it was something that obviously worried Stephen; so, he knew that going to check on her would be to only thing that would console him.

Once in Hogsmeade, Stephen didn't even feign being composed. He started running in the direction of his mother's shop and expected Charlie to follow. He stopped in front of the door and barely took a moment to catch his breath before he went barreling through the door. He stopped for a moment once inside and frantically looked around.

"She's not sleeping on the floor!" he exclaimed, oblivious to Charlie's confused expression. "She never sleeps upstairs! I gave up on trying to get her to… Unless she felt tired in the shower…. Oh god!" he started running towards the stairs. "She must be asleep in the shower!" Charlie didn't have time to ponder Stephen's strange words. He just followed after his boyfriend.

Stephen pulled back the shower curtain, but he was relieved to find that his mother was not asleep in the porcelain floor. Suddenly, he heard voices coming from her bedroom.

"Come on, Bronwyn," Dmitri was begging as Stephen and Charlie stepped into the room. "Drink the tea."

Dmitri was sitting in the chair that he had slept in. He was leaning forward, earnestly pleading with Bronwyn to drink the tea in her hands. She was sitting up in her bed with her covers wrapped around her. Stephen couldn't help but smile to himself a little. Dmitri had cared enough to bring Bronwyn up to her bed.

"Mom," Stephen said sternly. He stepped into the room. "Drink." Bronwyn immediately started gulping down the warm liquid. Stephen let out a sigh of relief. He feared for the day that commanding her to do something wouldn't work.

"How did you do that?" Dmitri asked in amazement. Both Charlie and Stephen were in the small bedroom now. Charlie awkwardly moved over to another chair by Bronwyn's bed. Stephen stayed standing up.

"Please remember," he answered solemnly. "There were years when I needed her alive. I had to find ways to keep her eating and drinking."

"Stephen," Bronwyn interrupted. She was smiling a wide smile that Stephen had never seen on her in his life.

"Yes, mother," he answered gently.

"He came back." Stephen nodded in response. He may have not liked Dmitri, but he encouraged his mother's happiness at his return. She would need someone like him. Stephen knew that it wasn't safe to rely on his letters getting to her to keep her alive.

"Yes he did," he agreed, doing his best to return the smile. "Have you been eating and drinking?"

"When I get your letters," she answered. Bronwyn didn't look guilty about forgetting to eat. She acted as though the only correct time to eat was when she received the letters. The necessity of eating regularly was something that Stephen couldn't quite get into her head.

"No," he replied sternly. "You must eat at least three times a day, not just when you get a letter."

"I'm fine," Bronwyn said defiantly. She actually sounded strong when she said it. There was a fire in her voice that Charlie hadn't heard at any other time. It was missing is vacancy and sadness. She actually sounded like a mother.

"Of course you are," Stephen agreed softly. "There's nothing wrong with you." He knelt down next to his mother's bed. He took her hands in his own. His hands nearly completely covered hers, and it was obviously something that they had been doing a long time. Bronwyn seemed to calm down almost immediately. "You're just a little forgetful sometimes," he continued. "That's okay though. Dmitri is going to stay here and help you remember things like eating."

"Dmitri isn't as smart as you," she protested. "He doesn't know when it's the right time to eat." Stephen sighed. He hadn't expected his mother to cooperate with a new person assigned to keeping track of her. He had tried in the past to get neighbors to come by and help her. She never accepted their help.

"Then, I'll keep sending my letters," he agreed. "I won't forget about you." Bronwyn smiled.

"I have to go dust the books," she said getting up. It was one thing that she never forgot. She never forgot the books currently in her care. She hopped down the stairs and left Dmitri, Charlie, and Stephen in her bedroom.

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><p>So yeah. There's Chapter Seven. REVIEWS PLEASE!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter, and I never will.

Warnings: Mental Illness, homosexuality?, mild wound description, cursing, drunkeness. Tell me if I missed anything, but really at this point you should know the gist.

My tumblr url is still .com. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns I'm always reachable. If you like the story, tell your friends. Please leave reviews. I'll always read them. Now for a story. My flash stick broke in half the other day so I lost all of my work. Luckily I was able to retrieve most of what I had written and not posted because I had sent it to a friend. Unfortunately, I lost my longest chapter. Instead of working on a new chapter this week I had to rewrite one. So, now I'm a little behind. By a little behind I mean four and half chapters ahead of what you are reading. I like to be five chapters ahead; so, this really won't affect much. It was just irritating and an annoyance. ANYWAY... things should be back in place by next week. Enough rambling. Enjoy the chapter!

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><p>Dmitri awkwardly looked around the room and followed Bronwyn out. Stephen sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed. He put his head in his hands.<p>

"Thank you for coming here," Stephen said. "I know that she wasn't being beaten, but…" he gestured around the room with both hands. "All this. It was time for one of my check-ins anyway."

"It's no issue," Charlie nodded. "She needs you." He moved from his spot on the chair to the bed next to Stephen. "I had no idea how much you did for her."

"She's certainly stubborn," Stephen agreed. "For awhile my choices were either finding a way to get her to stay alive or losing her and myself. I didn't want to go to an orphanage as a child. I also, although it's difficult at times, love her."

"Of course you do!" Charlie practically yelled. "She's your mother!" Stephen turned towards Charlie. He loved how easily Charlie understood Stephen's love for his mother. He wrapped his arms around Charlie's neck and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"You're probably the first person who actually thought that I love my mother. Most people just assume that I put up with her." Charlie gave Stephen a sad smile. "They don't get that there is stuff to love among the crazy."

Stephen stood up and pulled Charlie with him. He pulled his lover close and held him tight right up against him. "I'm going to introduce you to those parts." Charlie's smile widened. He was so grateful that Stephen wanted to let me get to know his mother. It was a sign that Charlie was for real. He was pretty confident that no other boyfriend had been let into Stephen's life the way he had. It had already been proven to Charlie that Stephen trusted and loved him, but it was still nice to have the reminder.

"Let's go then," Charlie answered. Stephen laughed and kissed him long but chastely. He took Charlie's hand in his own and dragged him down the stairs to the book shop.

It was dark in the shop, but not hard to see in. The two large windows in the front provided just enough light to see what you were doing and read selections out of books. Dmitri was standing back as Bronwyn went busily about her work, ignoring her son, son's boyfriend, and ex-lover. She ran back and forth between a cardboard box of books and the shelves that she was filling. Her eyes were blank and expressionless, but it seemed to Stephen that she was at least vaguely enjoying herself.

"Today's a busy day," she said almost to herself. "Hogwarts students have a trip today." Charlie and Stephen had backed into a corner and had been gently kissing, but Charlie stopped immediately when he heard her say that.

"What was that Ms. Mabriant?" he asked. She acted as though she didn't hear him and continued putting books onto a shelf.

"Mom," Stephen said clearing his throat. "Did you hear Charlie?" Bronwyn looked up from her work with a motherly smile at her son.

"Who, dear?" she asked asking for clarification.

"Never mind," Stephen said waving his hand absentmindedly. Charlie gave his boyfriend an incredulous look.

"She got into the habit of ignoring my boyfriends," Stephen explained in a quiet voice. "She doesn't like to believe in things that leave. They kept leaving; so, she eventually just found a way to naturally tune them out. She doesn't do it to be mean. Honestly, she probably can't even see you."

"She acknowledged me at St. Mungo's" Charlie argued. "She must just hate me." He didn't mean to sound so bitter when he said it, but it came out that way. He wished that he could take it back as soon as he saw Stephen's face.

"She doesn't hate you," Stephen pleaded. "She acknowledged you at St. Mungo's for two reasons." Charlie looked at him expectantly. "First, I was in trouble. If her books or I am in trouble, all her other crazy parts go away. Secondly, she didn't realize at first that you were my boyfriend. If she even sees you right now, she probably thinks you're a different person."

"So, she doesn't hate me. She's indifferent to me," Charlie answered coolly.

"Are you angry?"

"No," Charlie sighed turning away from looking at Bronwyn to look at his boyfriend. "I'm just sad that she doesn't have faith that you can get a formal boyfriend." Stephen nodded.

"She'll warm up to you. I promise."

Bronwyn had finished putting the new books away. She wandered up to Dmitri and grabbed his face in her hands. She kissed him fiercely on the lips. Dmitri pushed her away with an astonished look on his face. She stared into his eyes for a second and leaned in again.

Stephen was there in a flash. He roughly pulled Bronwyn away and held her violently by the shoulders. He gaped at Dmitri with bewilderment, but Dmitri returned the look.

"Did you kiss her last night?" he asked demandingly. "You had better tell me the truth!"

"No…No," Dmitri stuttered. "I don't know what's gotten into her…" Stephen nodded, believing him. He turned his face to Bronwyn and shook her gently.

"Don't kiss him, Mom," he implored her. "You're not ready for that." Bronwyn tried to turn around and look at Dmitri. Stephen shook her again. "No!" he said sternly. "Mom, look at me. Don't go for that. You will get hurt again."

"He came back," she whispered. There were tears starting to well up in her eyes. Stephen let go of her shoulders and embraced her in a hug instead.

"I know he did," he soothed. "I am so happy for you. Charlie will take you upstairs now." Charlie took his cue and tenderly took one of Bronwyn's hands. She didn't look at him, but she allowed Charlie to take her up the stairs to her room.

Once, Stephen saw them leaving he began to speak.

"Dmitri," he began.

"You may not be willing to call me your father," Dmitri interrupted, "but I demand that you show me some respect and refer to me as Mr. Hall." Stephen made a face that suggested that the last thing he believed that Dmitri deserved was respect.

"Nevertheless, Mr. Hall," he said the name in a tone of disgust. "Lay off her."

"Stephen," Dmitri said, his tone even.

"If I'm respecting you, I'd like you to respect me," Stephen interrupted.

"Fine," Dmitri answered with his voice still not faltering in its evenness. "Mr. Mabriant. I just tried to stop her. I never made any kind of move on her. I don't take advantage of people who aren't in a state to think for themselves." Stephen snorted. "Believe what you want, but I am not that kind of man Mr. Mabriant."

"All I'm asking you to do is keep it that way and take care of her," Stephen said. "I'll stay for a few days to see how much progress I can make in making her trust you, but then it'll be up to you. I'll keep writing letters if need be, but she's your responsibility. It's time for you to take action for what you have done."

"I can do that," Dmitri agreed. He and Stephen shook hands.

"Tell me some things about yourself," Charlie said awkwardly as they walked into Bronwyn's room. She stared straight through him, completely ignoring his question. Charlie sensed defeat on the small talk front.

"Look," he said sitting her down. "I realize that you don't acknowledge my existence or know I'm here or something, but I'm not going anywhere. I love your son. I love Stephen." At the mention of Stephen's name, Bronwyn looked up at Charlie.

"Stephen is good to me," she explained. Charlie smiled. It was heartwarming to know that particular thought was the first thing that came to Bronwyn's mind when someone mentioned Stephen.

"I know," Charlie answered. "He's good to a lot of people. That includes me."

"If you're good to him, I'll be good to you," Bronwyn answered. Charlie's smile widened. In Bronwyn's own strange way, she had just accepted him.

"Thank you," he answered. "I won't let you down."

"Name my grandchild Paulette." Charlie laughed. If letting Bronwyn choose a nonexistent child's name was all that it took to get her to like him, then he would accept it.

"Sure," he said. "That sounds lovely."

Charlie and Stephen had decided to get a room at the Three Broomsticks. They would return to the bookshop in the afternoon when there was an influx of Hogwarts students, but they had time to themselves. The first thing that Charlie demanded to do was order a butterbeer. It had been far too long. Charlie practically groaned in pleasure as the hot liquid seeped down his throat.

"Charlie," Stephen said with a look that was almost in pain. "You can't just make noises like that."

"Why not?" Charlie asked. He suddenly noticed Stephen growing erection. He laughed a little incredulously. "Are you turned on by the noise that I just made while drinking butterbeer." He laughed even harder when Stephen nodded.

"Shut up," Stephen said smacking him lightly on the back of the head. "You would be too if you heard me making those noises under you on a beach in India."

"No," Charlie argued. "It's totally different noise."

"Trust me," Stephen said with a finality to his voice. "It's one and the same." Charlie laughed a little and shook his head. He continued to sip his butterbeer, but for Stephen's sake stopped making noises. He anxiously kept his eyes on the doors, willing them to open and let in Hogwarts students. He was already getting selfish about visits from his siblings.

"It'll be a little while," Stephen said using his hand to turn Charlie's face towards him. "At least an hour." Charlie nodded in agreement. He had of course known this, but he couldn't help but hope that they would come early.

"You're right," he sighed. "Let's go upstairs and change your bandages."

Stephen followed Charlie up the creaky stairs of the Three Broomsticks. They went up several flights of stairs until they finally reached the fifth floor. They wandered down the hall until they found their room. Charlie pushed a rusty key into the hole and jiggled the door open.

As they entered the room, Stephen grabbed him by the waist and pushed him up against the wall. He closed the door with his foot and passionately kissed Charlie. Charlie let his tongue slip into his mouth and explore. He reached his hand the tangle into Stephen's hair.

"Stephen," he gasped. "We really do need to change your bandages." Stephen ignored him and started to undo Charlie's belt. He pulled it off, never ceasing his kissing and fondling.

"This is so much more fun, though," he said smiling into the kiss. Charlie smiled back, but he stood his ground.

"We can do this later," he said forcing Stephen away. "Right now we have to change your bandages. It won't be much fun if they get infected." Stephen reluctantly agreed and let Charlie lead him over to the bed.

Charlie rummaged through his bag until he found Stephen's ointment and bandages. He pulled them out and calmly walked over to Stephen. It was the first change that he would be doing. They had been supposed to change them every night, but Charlie was easily side tracked. He made a mental note to stick to the routine.

He gently tore off the bandages covering Stephen's face. Though he tried to prevent it, each time he pulled a bandage off, it tore off a bit of skin with it. Stephen shut his eyes in pain and willed the whole thing to be over.

"Is it better if I go slowly or if I just rip it off?" Charlie asked nervously.

"I don't know," Stephen said calmly. "Just do it." Charlie tried ripping it off quickly, but Stephen shouted out in pain. "I am so sorry," Charlie whispered. "I'll stick with the slow process."

Finally, all the bandages had been removed. The sight underneath was gruesome. His entire face was red and shiny. In various places where the bandages stuck particularly hard there were actual cuts that were bleeding. Charlie took a cloth and gently dabbed in those places. Stephen flinched each time that the cloth touched his face. There was not a single place that it wasn't affected and tender.

"It's okay, Charlie," Stephen said through a grimace. "Just put on the ointment. The bandages will soak up the blood." Charlie nodded. He didn't trust himself to say anything. His throat felt tight, but he didn't want to show his sadness. He needed to convince Stephen's face meant nothing to him. It wasn't even the loss of Stephen's looks that affected Charlie. It was seeing the look of pain on what was left of Stephen's face.

Charlie squeezed out a little ointment onto his fingers tips and gently patted it onto Stephen's skin. Instead of scowling, Stephen actually let out a sigh of release. The ointment had a cooling effect of his overheated skin. Charlie grabbed the roll of bandages as the ointment dried. It acted as a glue for the bandages that Charlie tenderly pressed onto Stephen. After forty five minutes of work, Stephen's bandages had been changed.

"Well that felt like a waste of time," Stephen laughed bitterly.

"No," Charlie argued smoothing back Stephen's hair. "It was necessary. I'll get faster. I promise."

"In any case, we've run out of time for fun stuff," Stephen grumbled. "The students will be in Hogsmeade soon. We should head to the bookshop." Charlie nodded and helped his boyfriend up. Stephen put an arm on Charlie's hip and pulled him close. He was so tight up against him that Charlie could smell blueberries. He wondered if he bathed in it and why the smell was such a comfort to Stephen. Charlie rested his head on the slightly taller man's shoulder, and they walked out of the Three Broomsticks to the bookshop.

Already, Hogwarts students were milling around the streets of Hogsmeade searching for something to do. There was an insane line outside of Honeyduke's where the students were be attending to all their sugary needs. Charlie craned his neck to see if he could catch sight of Ginny, Fred, George, or Ron.

"You can look for them," Stephen offered. "I'll go to the shop, and you can meet me there when you're done."

"No," Charlie said. "I want to…." He was interrupted by two ginger teenagers running into him and immediately starting to hug both him and Stephen.

"Fred! George!" Stephen shouted with glee. Charlie's heart swelled at the joy in it. He sounded truly happy to see the twins again. "How have you been?"

"Just fine," the twins answered. Fred was hiding something behind his back, but before Charlie could ask what it was George stepped in. He pulled out a large wooden box with slips of paper and coins in it.

"Care to make a bet on a champion?" he asked. "You could win quite a bit of money here!"

"I don't take part in bets," Charlie said eying the box warily. He wasn't even sure if making bets on the tournament was legal. He wouldn't turn the twins in, but he didn't want to openly condone it.

"I'll bet several galleons on Harry Potter," Stephen said smiling and handing the twins five gold galleons. They nodded, took the money, and wrote down Stephen's name on a slip that said Harry Potter on it. Each name had a date next to it. There were a surprising amount of bets put on Harry directly after the dragon challenge.

"Look we'd love to stay and chat," Fred said warily eyeing the bandages of Stephen's face," but we need to see how many bets we can get by the end of the day. George nodded in agreement.

"Sure," Stephen said. He shook both Fred and George's hands in turn. "Wait one more thing. Before you go. Where can we find condoms?" Charlie's face grew a bright red. He had to stop himself from slapping Stephen directly across his face in that moment. He was absolutely mortified, but the twins seemed unaffected.

"Two doors down," George answered pointing down the street to a little general store.

"Just don't tell Mum that we know where to buy condoms," Fred finished with a wink. Before Charlie could question them, the twins took off down the street stopping people and asking them to make bets. Charlie shook his head.

"I don't know why I put up with you," Charlie groaned exasperatedly.

"You do it because you love me," Stephen answered with a grin. He pulled Charlie into an embrace and kissed him.

"I guess that must be it," Charlie agreed. "I can't think of another possible reason that I would."

Stephen and Charlie opened the book shop doors and were surprised to find an unthinkable number of students milling around. Bronwyn was moving to each one individually, helping them find the books they needed and making small conversation with them. To Stephen's surprise, Bronwyn looked normal. She looked happier than he had ever seen her.

"Miss Mabriant," a small girl with golden curls said to her. "I'm looking for some light reading. Any suggestions?" When Bronwyn looked down at the girl her eyes weren't clouded over. They were bright and excited.

"I have the perfect book for you Shannon," she said. She pulled the girl over to a shelf and handed her a book.

Stephen couldn't believe his eyes. He had never seen his mother the way that she was acting in this moment.

"Mom," Stephen said in nearly a whisper. He fell into her arms. Charlie stood back and watched as tears started pouring down Stephen's face. Bronwyn wrapped her arms around her son in an almost confused way, and Charlie saw her act motherly towards Stephen for the first time.

"I like the children," Bronwyn whispered to her son.

"Good," he answered. "That's really good."

Charlie let them be and walked around the store to see if he could help anyone. He had barely taken two steps before he felt the wind knocked out of him. Ginny had thrown her arms around him.

"CHARLIE!" she screamed. "What are you doing here?" She looked at him with eyes that almost expected him to say that he and Stephen were moving to Hogsmeade.

"Stephen's mom owns this shop," Charlie explained.

"I thought that Fred and George were kidding," Ginny laughed. "They told me that you were here, but I didn't believe them."

"For once," Charlie said laughing, "you can believe Fred and George. I have no idea how long we'll be here though."

"They said something else, too," Ginny said nervously looking over at Stephen. "They said that Stephen looks different."

"Well Ginny," Charlie said. "He is missing the skin on his face."

"No," Ginny argued. "It's more than that." She bit her bottom lip and looked into Charlie's eyes. "They said that he looked almost lost. I don't know… I haven't gotten a good look at him, but generally when Fred and George get concerned about people's feelings there's an actual issue."

"Ginny," Charlie sighed. "He's had a difficult life and he's going through a lot…"

"Charlie," Ginny cut him off. "I'm not telling you to break up with him or anything. Just keep an eye out on him. It looks like he'd be easily upset."

Charlie nodded in agreement. Stephen was still crying quietly in his mother's arms. He was acting as though he didn't want it to end. It was probably the first time that Bronwyn had comforted him instead of the other way around. Charlie said his goodbyes to Ginny and walked over to his boyfriend.

"Stephen," he said touching his shoulder. Stephen was shaking with his tears now. Bronwyn looked confused and unsure about how to deal with her situation. "Stephen, let your mom do her work." Stephen reluctantly let go of his mother. He held her at arm's length and stared into her eyes. The brightness that he had seen there before was nearly gone. He abruptly let go of her and stormed out of the shop. She looked confused for only a moment before going back to her customers.

Charlie followed Stephen out of the shop yelling his name, but Stephen didn't turn around. He continued walking at a brisk pace towards the Hogshead. It was obvious that he didn't want to go to the Three Broomsticks where it was almost necessary to interact with other people. He threw the door open and practically ran inside.

"Stephen!" Charlie yelled again as he followed in after him. Stephen was already sitting at the bar with an enormous glass of fire whisky in front of him.

"Let me drink in peace, Charlie," Stephen said gruffly.

"Fine," Charlie nodded. "I'm not going to let you drink alone, though." He pulled a chair up next to him and put an arm around his waist.

"I'm the problem," Stephen said suddenly after finished his first glass and waving to the bar tender for another.

"What do you mean by that?" Charlie asked soothingly.

"I mean… She was ok. She was happy," Stephen answered. His voice was cracking and he took a big swig of the fire whisky that had just been placed in front of him. "Then I walked in and I could see the light fading from her eyes."

Charlie gazed at Stephen. He remembered Ginny's words to him. "Lost." It was certainly a good word to describe the way that Stephen looked.

"She hates me," Stephen gulped. He took several long gulps from his glass.

"She doesn't hate you," Charlie argued. "She cares about you more than anyone else."

"She hates that she has to." Charlie opened his mouth to disagree but Stephen held up a hand. "She hates that she is obligated as a mother to love me."

Charlie didn't know how to answer so he just continued to sit with his arm around Stephen's waist. He let Stephen go through glass after glass of fire whisky. Stephen was an obnoxious drunk. He eventually got tired and put his head down on the bar. Charlie ran a tentative hand up and down Stephen's back humming a gentle song to him. Before long, Stephen was asleep.

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><p>Reviews are appreciated always!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: As always I do not own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it.

Warnings: drunkeness, definite implied sexy times between two males, and I may have alluded to Aberforth's crime. I honestly can't remember.  
>My tumblr is still spankthebatchild. A couple of people have shown interest in my one shots. I already have one really short one written about Dumbledore and Grindlewald. Again, it's really short. I'll be posting that one ASAP. If anyone has any requests I've got a foot in several fandoms and would be willing to write anything. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.<p>

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><p>Charlie dragged a drunk, sleepy Stephen back to the Three Broomsticks. When they first started walking, Stephen was compliant, but it didn't last.<p>

"Let me go, Charlie!" he sobbed. His words were slurred, but his angry emotions still managed to come through. "I want to go back and have another drink!" Charlie ignored his yelling and continued to pull him along the cobblestone streets despite his struggling.

"Come on, Stephen," he grunted. "Let's get you to bed. You've had an intense day, love." At the pet name "love" Stephen calmed down a bit. He relaxed himself into Charlie's already tired arms.

"I hate everyone," Stephen sighed. "I really do."

"No you don't," Charlie cooed. They had finally made it to the Three Broomsticks. Charlie desperately desired that someone would help him carry Stephen the rest of the way up to their room.

When Charlie opened the door, no one was there. It was late, and everyone had retreated to their rooms or gone home. Charlie realized that he had no idea what time it was. Through a last exertion of strength, Charlie got Stephen safely to their room. He put Stephen down on the bed and started pulling his socks off.

"Why does everything suck?" Stephen asked with amazing clarity in his voice. "Why does all the !#$%^&* happen to generally good people?" Charlie gave him a sad smile.

"That's a lifelong question that no one has yet to find an answer to," Charlie said tugging off Stephen's pants. Stephen rolled over on the bed seemingly unaware of how difficult it made things for Charlie.

"My poor mom," he whimpered. Stephen felt like he was the problem. He felt like his mother could be a normal human being around everyone except him.

"I know. I know," Charlie said soothingly. He really did feel bad. Seeing Stephen fall into his mother's arms had been heartbreaking. He had given up on trying to get Stephen's shirt off while he was sprawled out on his stomach. Instead he rubbed Stephen's back as he undressed himself. By the time Charlie crawled into bed, Stephen was snoring quietly.

Sleep didn't come easily to Charlie. He did not have the assistance of far too many alcoholic drinks, and he had a lot on his mind. Ginny's words kept playing over and over in his mind. One thing was certain. It was Charlie's job to keep Stephen happy, to protect him, and to comfort him. There was an issue of course. Charlie had no idea how to do it.

When he had first gotten involved with Stephen he had expected none of this. He had expecting complications with Stephen, but nothing like this. He had anticipated one-night stands, never being sure where their relationship stood, and clingy ex-boyfriends. So far Stephen had been relatively good with those things. He hadn't forced Charlie into anything, ever. He had committed and said, "I love you." It was very clear that they were in a serious relationship and nothing silly. Charlie hadn't even heard a peep from any ex-boyfriends. The real issues at hand were much worse.

How was Charlie supposed to know in the beginning that Stephen had a mildly crazy mother? How was he supposed to guess that Stephen had never had a full conversation with his father? How was he supposed to assume that Stephen would lose his face and his self assurance along with it? Charlie felt a tugging at his heart and an evil voice in his head.

_Leave him _it said. _He isn't worth your time. He's a lost cause. He can't really give anything back for what you will have to go through for him._ Charlie shook with anger at himself for even having those thoughts for a second. He was a Gryffindor. Gryffindors were brave. Charlie Weasley was brave. In defiance of his own evil thoughts, Charlie wrapped an arm around Stephen, nuzzled his mouth into Stephen's neck, and went to sleep.

Charlie was awoken abruptly the next morning by a pounding on the door. Stephen moaned in pain, and Charlie knew that the day would be filled with hang over remedies. He pulled some pants on and hurried over to the door to interrupt the incessant knocking. He pulled open the door to find one of the most handsome men he had ever seen staring at him.

"Stephen there?" the man asked. Charlie glanced back into the room, but on seeing Stephen's condition, closed the door and came out into the hall with the man.

"Who are you?" he asked crossing his arms. He didn't like the looks of the man. He was attractive, but not really Charlie's type. He had extremely dark hair gelled back with no part what so ever.

"My name is Brian," he said. His stared deep into Charlie's eyes as if he was searching for something. His eyes contrasted greatly with his hair. They were an icy blue that was so much more demanding and intrusive than the soft teal of Stephen's eyes.

"What do you want, Brian?" Charlie asked. It came out much more protective and angry than he meant it to. He had meant to sound only a little irritated, but it came out as though Charlie wanted to kill him on the spot.

"I just want to visit my old boyfriend. I'm guessing that I've already met the new one." Brian smiled slyly. Charlie had guessed correctly. He had assumed that Brian was some kind of ex-lover.

At that moment Stephen came stumbling out of the room. He was still only wearing his boxers and a shirt. His eyes were drooped. He looked like someone who had just risen from the dead and hadn't fully come to terms with their death. To Charlie, he looked adorable.

"Brian?" he mumbled sleepily. Stephen was still having difficulty taking in his surroundings. He knew that he had far too much to drink the night before, but at the time he believed that it was a good idea.

"Stephen," Brian nodded. At this point he started to completely ignore that Charlie was there. Charlie didn't get a mere glance from Brian for the rest of the conversation.

"Sorry, Brian," Stephen tried to clear his voice but no part of his body was fully listening to his mind's orders. "I thought that I sent an owl to everyone. I've settled down."

"Oh, don't worry," Brian assured him. "I got the letter, and I'm sure everyone else did as well. I just came to see the lucky man in person."

"Thoughts?" Stephen asked. Charlie felt incredibly uncomfortable. He was standing in between two men, one of which he was dating and the other had obvious disdain for him, and they were about to discuss their thoughts on him. Charlie cleared his throat loudly before Brian could answer.

"Never mind," Stephen said waving his question away with his hand. "Thanks for stopping by." Brian started to turn away as Charlie felt something catch in his heart. He didn't know how much Brian actually liked Stephen. They easily could have just been !#$%^&* buddies, but who was Charlie to say that Brian didn't have real feelings.

"No," Charlie said decidedly. Brian stopped abruptly and turned around. He had an intrigued look on his face as Charlie continued. "Stephen, go on a walk with him. Give him a proper break up." Stephen looked as though he wanted to argue, but he saw the expression on Charlie's face and changed his mind. He nodded and started walking down the corridor with Brian. Charlie wondered if he had made the right decision and went back instead his room.

Stephen and Brian wandered around the streets of Hogsmeade for a long time without saying a word. Stephen kept opening his mouth and closing it, looking for the right thing to say. He felt like a dead fish. At first, he thought that he was gathering his courage to speak, but the longer the silence lasted the harder it was to break it.

"He's not as hot as I expected him to be," Brian said finally breaking the silence. Stephen stopped abruptly and stared at him. His fists clenched. He felt the sudden urge to punch him.

"He's much more attractive when he isn't terrified," Stephen argued. Brian held up his hands in protest.

"I'm not saying that he's unattractive!" he objected. "I'm just saying that I expected some kind of sex god to make you swear off other men." This comment only made Stephen angrier, but he let his hands drop to his sides.

"Maybe it's more than the sex this time," he answered. Brian actually laughed in response. "If you've changed that way," he said incredulously, "then you'll be back to your normal self soon." Stephen let the words wash over him. They made him realize what attracted him so much to Charlie. This man talking to him had no faith in him; Charlie had nothing but faith even though Stephen felt that he had given him nothing to believe in.

"I'm done changing," Stephen sighed suddenly tired. "It's too much." There was silence again as they continued to walk.

"You're not the only thing that can change you know," Brian said at last. Stephen didn't know how to decipher these words.

"Brian," he answered unsure of what was going on, "if you're in love with me, you have to tell me now. I'm supposed to be breaking up with you." Brian buckled over with laughter.

"No," he said through chuckles. "I'm not in love with you. I'm not changing. I'm just giving you a fair warning. Stuff is going to change soon. I expect you to change with it." He saw Stephen's confused expression. "You're unhappy Stephen. I can tell."

With those words, Brian disappearated, leaving Stephen more confused than ever. He meant to walk back to the Three Broomsticks or the bookshop, but instead Stephen found himself in front of the Hog's Head again. He pushed the rotting door open and walked into the bar.

"I'm not giving you nearly as many drinks tonight as last night," Aberforth said as Stephen sat down at the bar. "You don't have anyone to carry you home today."

"Just one please," Stephen replied. He stared down at his hands. He wished that he had punched Brian, strangled him, or anything. He couldn't help but feel that there was a bit of truth to what he had said. Who knew how long it would be before he was bored with Charlie? What had Brian meant by things were changing? Stephen knew that Brian had said was true. Stephen was unhappy. He had been for a long time, and Charlie wouldn't be able to change that no matter how wonderful he was.

"Aberforth?" Stephen said looking up at the old man. Few people knew it, but Stephen and Aberforth had a good friendship that had been developed over years. Aberforth was the man that Stephen had gone to when his mother wasn't acting right. Aberforth had given him his first summer job. Most importantly, Aberforth was the first one that Stephen had asked about sexuality. The way he said Aberforth's name now was the way he had used it all those years ago.

_"Aberforth?" the eleven-year-old boy had said._

_ "Yes," the man replied already knowing that something pressing was on Stephen's mind._

_ "Can I like boys?" Stephen asked. Aberforth smiled to himself. He had guessed this about the boy, but he never wanted to assume anything about him. He didn't like people who made assumptions about people._

_ "You can like whoever you want to like," he had answered._

"Yes, Stephen," Aberforth answered.

"Should I break up with him?" he asked. Stephen's voice was shaking. There were tears in his eyes as he looked up at Aberforth.

"You'd be crazy to," the old man replied turning around to unload some boxes of liquor.

"It's not fair to drag him through my mess of a life," Stephen argued. Aberforth turned around again to face Stephen. There was a fire in his icy blue eyes. He stared deep into Stephen's own.

"Has it ever occurred to you that Charlie likes taking care of you? He obviously cares about you. It would do neither of you any good if you broke up with him," he said with a growl to his voice. Stephen looked down at his drink. Aberforth was right. Breaking up with Charlie wasn't the answer.

"What do I do?" Stephen asked. "I can't just make him watch my depressing life for the rest of his life."

"You try to find the happiness in your life, Stephen," Aberforth answered a little exasperated. He didn't understand Stephen's confusion. The boy was obviously in love. The only answer to his problems was to share them with Charlie. It was that simple.

Stephen paid for his drink and wandered back out into Hogsmeade. He and Charlie were officially past "the honey moon phase." Who was to say that they couldn't continue onward? Stephen liked to believe that he was strong, and he liked to believe even more that Charlie was strong. Charlie could pull him through anything. Still, as Stephen walked towards the Three Broomsticks, he had the nagging thought that there were certain things that even Charlie couldn't do.

Charlie paced his room back and forth. He felt stupid. He felt like he had made the worst decision of his life, telling Stephen to go off alone with Brian. The man had seemed sketchy and jealous of the relationship between Stephen and Charlie. Charlie wasn't sure how strong either of the men was, but he kept seeing, in his mind's eye, Brian dragging Stephen off somewhere. His fears were finally washed away as Stephen pushed open the door to their room.

Charlie flew across the room and grabbed Stephen in a warm embrace. Charlie rubbed his hands up and down Stephen's back, taking in every inch of him. Stephen practically attacked his face with kisses.

"You smell like alcohol," Charlie said breathlessly. He took Stephen's wavy blonde hair in his hands and pulled him towards the bed.

"Don't worry," Stephen moaned fumbling with Charlie's shirt as they fell onto the bed. "It was just one drink. I'm old friends with Aberforth. Wanted to catch up while I wasn't an emotional wreck."

Charlie moaned loudly as Stephen's hand slid down to his crotch. His erection was obviously protruding from his jeans. He rutted hard into Stephen's hand.

"Oh my God," Stephen laughed. "You've never been this needy before," he whispered into Charlie's ear. Charlie groaned and rutted harder.

"I was worried," he said when he caught his breath. "I thought he was going to take you away."

Stephen started to unbuckle Charlie's belt. He pulled his jean downs and let Charlie's hard on fly out. He gently kissed Charlie stomach working his way down. He nipped, kissed, and sucked until he met Charlie's crotch.

"No one could ever take me away from you," Stephen whispered against his skin. Charlie moan was practically a shout. "Do you understand me?" Stephen asked. Charlie tried to push Stephen's head into his aching cock, but Stephen kept his mouth where it was. It rested directly above his shaft. "Do you understand me?" Stephen repeated. Charlie groaned loudly and found the strength and control to answer.

"Yes," he said gasping. "Now please take me in your mouth." It was all Stephen needed to get started.

"I'm sorry," Stephen said when they had finished. "I must have scared you last night." Charlie nodded.

"It's ok," Charlie said. "You were upset. It's understandable."

"Is she really crazy, or am I making her insane?" Stephen asked. Charlie hoped that the question was rhetorical. He didn't know which answer was worse; so, he didn't want to answer.

"You're good for her," he said. "Who knows where she'd be without you." Stephen smiled sadly. He had Charlie wrapped in his arms. In most cases where someone was being comforted, they would be the one being held, but Stephen was different. He liked to hold onto Charlie like a teddy bear. Charlie felt so real and alive.

"I want to go back to Romania," Stephen said into Charlie's shoulder. "Can we just say goodbye to Dmitri and my mom and go home?"

"Sure," Charlie answered. Stephen didn't move. "We should get dressed if you want to do that."

"Just, let me hold you a little longer."

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><p>Remember to review and make requests for one shots. If a one shot goes particularly well, I may make it into a full story<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except a pet rabbit.  
>Warnings: There isn't anything too bad in this chapter. Tell me if I'm wrong<p>

My tumblr is still spankthebatchild. This weekend I uploaded a Grindelwald/Dumbledore one-shot. I think I'm going to start doing one-shot weekends. Sound good? Next one-shot will be Cato/Clove from the Hunger Games. I'll take submissions as well. Please review. It only takes a second, and it always makes my day. Enjoy the chapter. I'll update again on Monday!

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><p>Stephen's goodbye to his parents wasn't tearful. He hugged his mother, but it wasn't the same kind of hug that it had been before. It was a hug with forced emotions. Stephen wrapped his arms loosely around his mother and held her there for only a second before letting go.<p>

"Please don't go," Dmitri begged. "I'm not ready to take care of her myself." Stephen glared at his father.

"Of course you aren't," he sneered. "I don't believe that you ever will be. I'll continue writing the letters to her." He turned and walked out of the door of the bookshop without giving Dmitri so much as a goodbye handshake.

"He'll come around," Charlie said awkwardly. He swung his arms back and forth, looking for something else to say. He didn't want to leave the way that Stephen had.

"No he won't," Dmitri said with finality. "What I did is unforgivable in his eyes." Dmitri held out his hand.

Charlie shook it. He turned to Bronwyn and tried to give her a hug. Her arms didn't open to him.

"Paulette," she said. Charlie nodded.

"Mom!" Stephen called from outside. "Hug him please!" Bronwyn gave Charlie a quick hug.

Charlie gave one last look around the little book shop and walked out. Stephen was standing outside with their suitcases, ready to go.

"I'm going to be glad to get back to work," Stephen said as Charlie walked out. "It'll be a good distraction from…" he waved his arms, "everything."

"Yeah," Charlie agreed. He grabbed Stephen's arm and his suitcase. They disappearated and appeared on the Dragon Reserve.

Charlie took in the fresh mountain air. He felt at home. It felt good to be home. He took Stephen's hand in his own.

"We should go get our schedules," Stephen said trying to turn away.

"Wait," Charlie protested. "There's something that I want to talk to you about." Stephen felt apprehensive.

"It can wait until later," he argued. "We should get back to work. I'll meet you in your tent later. I think I'm going to just give mine away. I'll move in officially tonight". With that, Stephen was off in the direction of one of the infirmary tents. Charlie stared in exasperation. He had wanted to tell Stephen about the doubts he had at the Three Broomsticks. He had wanted to get it all out in the open, but Stephen had probably sensed his nervousness. Stephen probably didn't want to know. Charlie knew that he had to tell him though. It didn't feel right to keep it inside.

Stephen pushed his way into the infirmary tent. He was immediately hit by an enthusiastic hug.

"You're back!" Vanessa squealed. "I wasn't expecting you! How was your trip? Where did you guys go? How are you feeling?"

"Slow down, Vanessa," Stephen said pushing her away. "I'm tired out by your questions already!"

"Sorry," she apologized. "Just, tell me everything." Stephen told her about the Denmark, meeting his father, India, and visiting his mother. He left out the majority of his feelings and made it sound like the entire trip was enjoyable.

"That sounds great," Vanessa said when he had finished. "So, there isn't really a schedule filled out for you today, but if you want to work you can take over my shift. I have a date, and I don't think he'd mind if we lengthened it a bit."

"Sounds good," Stephen said nodding. "I need to start working again soon, or I won't want to."

"There's a dragon back there," Vanessa said pointing behind Stephen to another room of the enormous tent. "There's some kind of sore on the bottom of its foot that needs checking out." She gave Stephen another hug and left for her date.

Stephen pulled on his protective leather and pushed open the tent flap into the room. Inside there was a green Romanian Longhorn. Most people would assume that dragons only roared, but the noise that this dragon was making was somewhat of a whine. Stephen looked down at his ankle tag to read the name Balder.

"Ok, Balder," he said taking a step closer. "Relax and let me look at that sore of yours." Stephen had learned quickly when he first entered the dragon field that his voice had a calming effect on them. Most wizards and witches would put up some kind of a shield spell when approaching a dragon, but Stephen trusted that he wouldn't need one. Balder made no move to attack.

Suddenly, Stephen remembered his injuries. He stopped walking towards the dragon. He shook his head trying to remind himself that he hadn't had a chance to talk to the Hungarian Horntail that had injured him. Plus, they had much nastier tempers than Romanian Longhorns.

Stephen started to approach the dragon once more. It reared its head, half in surprise and half in fear.

"Balder," Stephen spoke again. His voice did not hold its usual calm. It shook as he spoke, and he could see that it unnerved the dragon. He cleared his throat. "Let's see that sore."

He took a final step towards the dragon. Its right rear foot had an enormous boil. It looked angry and red with puss oozing out. Stephen immediately knew what it was. Balder had an ingrown claw. He turned around to get the right potion.

Charlie didn't have a schedule that day either, but he found work. A Peruvian Vipertooth was living in the wrong area of the dragon sanctuary. She lived far too close to the Hungarian Horntails. Normally the dragons would be left alone if they moved closer together. Some ended up creating hybrids that brought more discoveries to the dragonologists. Hungarian Horntails are particularly vicious and territorial though. They didn't interbreed, and the Peruvian Vipertooth was in danger.

Ten dragon keepers were needed to move her. Five would shoot harmless sparks from their wands at the dragon's feet. The other five were needed to hold a shield charm around both themselves and one of the spark shooters. One of these ten dragon keepers had slept in sick that day. Charlie was to replace them and put up a shield charm.

"Ready! go!" called a young witch chosen to shoot sparks. Five shield charms went up. Charlie cast one around himself and the witch who had just spoken. The dragon was reluctant to move. They didn't even get her to take a step back until five minutes into the endeavor. It was slow moving. Not once did she take more than one step backwards at a time. After two hours of tedious work, she had been moved to a safer location.

"Put down your shields!" called the witch. "We'll take a break for lunch, and then we'll see if we can move her any further away to deter her from trying to go back.

"Nice work," Charlie complimented her. He sat down next to her and pulled a sandwich out of his leather messenger bag. "I'm Charlie Weasley."

"Thanks," the witch said nodding to him. "My name's Becca Turnbull."

"It's nice to meet you Becca," Charlie said smiling. He liked making friends with the younger dragon keepers. It wasn't that he wasn't young himself, but it seemed like every day new younger witches and wizards were coming in.

"Aren't you Stephen Mabriant's boyfriend?" she asked suddenly. Charlie nodded as he took another bite of his sandwich. "I sure hope that you're smarter than him." Charlie glared at her, all wants of making a friend forgotten.

"Stephen is smart," he said with clarity. He didn't like this girl's attitude. She easily could have been burned by a Hungarian Horntail. She had no right doubting the intelligence of her senior. "He was caught off guard."

"My point exactly," Becca said flipping her short black hair. "You should never be caught off guard while working with dragons."

"He wasn't on duty," Charlie argued.

"Guess you're pretty dumb too," Becca laughed. "In Romania, you're always on duty, even when you're not." Charlie stood up abruptly. Becca snorted with laughter. He stormed away. He didn't care that Becca didn't have someone to cast a shield charm around her. She could burn for all he cared.

Stephen took one last look around his tent. He had reported that he would be moving in with Charlie. The cot was folded up, and the desk that was usually covered with sketches, spell books, potions, and ointments was now clear. All of Stephen's things were packed neatly into suitcases. He flicked his wand and made them levitate. He left his tent and headed for Charlie's.

When he got to the tent, Charlie was already on the cot. He wasn't asleep, but his hands were folded behind his head while he stared at the ceiling. He had an infuriated look on his face. His nose and forehead were nearly scrunched together, and his eyes kept sliding back and forth.

"What's wrong," Stephen asked. He let his suitcases dropped to the floor and climbed onto the cot with Charlie. He rubbed his nose.

"New bitch," Charlie said. He didn't even look at Stephen when he joined him. He continued to stare at the ceiling of the tent.

"Don't let her get to you," Stephen said pulling Charlie into his arms and forcing him to look at the wall of the tent instead of the ceiling. Charlie snorted.

"You should talk," he protested. "You let those homophobes get to you. You let your injury get to you. You let not only your past but your mom's past get to you."

"Hey," Stephen said sitting up but not letting go of Charlie. "What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know," Charlie said shaking his head. 'I just didn't expect all of this…"

"All of what?" Stephen asked forcing his voice to stay calm. He could feel himself getting angry.

"I didn't expect your family or your injury or your incapability to stay strong through anything," Charlie said. His voice got louder as he spoke. He tried to bring it down, but it ended up sounding like an angry whisper. "Stephen, I love you, but you can't break down the way you have." Stephen gave him an incredulous look and pushed him out of his arms. He stood up and started pacing.

"Let me get this straight," he snarled. "What I've been through isn't enough for me to be upset. Charlie, my face is gone, and no one respects me anymore. People don't recognize who I am at first, and when they do they remember me as an idiot who let his guard down. My mom is mentally insane, and I have never felt motherly love from her. Do you want to know what I've been thinking about all day?" Stephen was yelling at that point. Charlie looked down at his hands and didn't say anything. "Do you want to know, Charlie my love?" he spit out the word love. "Well I'm going to tell you anyway! I was thinking about whether or not I should check her into the mental ward of St. Mungo's! Do you know what I decided?" Charlie shook his head. Tears were starting to well up in his eyes. He had been afraid that he would explode, and Stephen would react this way. He had planned on being gentle and trying to show his concern for Stephen, but Becca had thrown off his mood. "I decided," Stephen continued, "that I didn't have to. I decided that I could continue to take care of her as long as you supported me!" Stephen stormed out of the tent. He grabbed only one small bag as he left. Charlie jumped up and tried to follow him.

"Stephen!" he yelled. "Stephen! Wait!" He caught up to him and grabbed his arm. He tried to turn him around. "Look at me!" he screamed. Stephen didn't say a word. He pushed Charlie's arm off, and shoved him. Charlie was caught off guard and hit the ground hard. He jumped back up.

"I'm not giving up Stephen," he said.

"Go back to bed, Charlie," Stephen answered still walking away. Charlie followed from a safe distance.

"You know that I didn't mean what I said that way," he protested. "I'm always here to support you. I just didn't want to see you break down like that anymore. It scares me." Stephen still didn't say anything. "Stephen, don't shut me out," Charlie pleaded. "I'm always here for you to talk to." Stephen stopped unexpectedly. He spun around to face Charlie.

"If you can't deal with my "break downs" as you call them, then you can't be with me," Stephen said. He turned around and started walking again.

"Stephen," Charlie said soothingly. He grabbed Stephen's shoulder, and this time Stephen stopped and didn't push him off. "I can deal with anything as long as it means I'm with you. You also need to let me talk though. You need to let me have those moments when I'm an absolutely terrible boyfriend." Charlie felt Stephen sigh.

"Go to bed Charlie," he whimpered.

"Not until you tell me that we'll talk tomorrow," Charlie avowed.

"Fine." Stephen turned to face Charlie. He took his face in his hands and kissed him. "Goodnight, Charlie," he said.

"Stephen," Vanessa said as she walked into his tent. "What's the final ingredient to…" She had entered a completely clean room. Stephen's tent was never clean. His desk was completely empty. There was nothing on top of his dresser. His cot was folded up in a corner. She smiled to herself. Charlie and Stephen had moved in together.

She was turning to leave when she hit Stephen square in the chest. His eyes were red, but his face was not wet. He had obviously been holding back tears for a long time. He fell into Vanessa's arms. He was practically putting all his weight on her. She pushed him back and held him at arm's length, but he wouldn't look into her eyes.

She pulled him over the cot and unfolded it. She pulled Stephen to sit down with her and held his hand.

"What happened, Stephen?" she asked. He still wouldn't look in her eyes. "Did you guys break up?" Stephen finally turned to her.

"No!" he yelled. "No! No. I don't know?" He groaned and lay back on the cot. Vanessa followed suit.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Not really," he answered. "I just want to die." Vanessa nodded and looked at the ceiling.

"Where's your stuff?" she inquired. Stephen groaned again.

"I left it at his place," he said covering his face with his hands. "Guess I'm going to have to talk to him tomorrow like I promised if I want to get my stuff back." Vanessa took it as a good sign that Stephen had promised to talk to Charlie.

"Do you want me to stay or go?"

"Whatever."

Vanessa sighed. "I'm going to go then because I have the night shift. Feel better, Stephen. I'll see you in the morning." She gave Stephen a sad wave and left him to go to sleep.

Stephen curled up on his cot without taking off his clothes. He had nothing to change into in the morning anyway. He shut his eyes tightly and willed himself to sleep. He couldn't. He kept seeing Charlie's distraught face. He shifted over to his other side. Bronwyn's face haunted him there.

Stephen sat up and grabbed the one bag he had remembered to take from Charlie's tent. He pulled out a vial of potion marked, "Sleeping Draught." Stephen lay back down on the cot and brought the vial to his mouth. He fell asleep practically as soon as it touched his lips.

Charlie had meant to go back to his own tent, but he never got there. He found himself in front of Lucas's tent instead. Lucas had a little bell positioned outside his tent for visitors to ring like a doorbell. Charlie rang it.

"Charlie," Lucas said as he popped his head out. His chest was bar, and although he was mostly behind the tent flap, Charlie assumed that he wasn't wearing pants either. "Look I'd love to talk, but I've got a girl in there," Lucas apologized while gesturing inside the tent. He wished that he could take it back as soon as he saw the look on Charlie's face. He looked like he was in physical pain, like something was eating him from the inside.

"Who?" Charlie said with feigned interest.

"Her name is Becca." Charlie made a face of disgust.

"She isn't worth your time."

"Right," Lucas said nodding although he was confused. Normally he wouldn't give up an attractive girl just because Charlie showed up at his tent in the middle of the night, but there was obviously something bothering Charlie; so, he didn't argue. "Just give me a second."

Lucas re-entered his tent. Charlie heard him discussing something with a girl. Before long she was yelling. Becca stormed out of the tent and sneered at Charlie on her way out.

"Don't expect a second chance with me, Lucas!" she yelled holding up the middle finger.

"Come on in," Lucas said to Charlie.

"Sorry about that," Charlie apologized. "She was very pretty." Lucas waved his hand in dismissal.

"She'll be back, or I'll find another," he said. He wasn't lying. Getting girls was exceptionally easy for Lucas. He had light brown hair that fell in wisps across his forehead. His eyes were enormous and brown. They had a look in them that most girls found irresistible. "What's up?" he asked.

"I fought with Stephen," Charlie said plopping down in a chair. "It was totally my fault too. I feel so dumb." Lucas handed Charlie a glass of Quintin Black.

"Don't blame yourself, man," he said. "He must have deserved some of it." Charlie took a sip of his drink.

"I overreacted," he argued. "I take all the blame. Now I just have to get him to forgive me."

"I take it he was pretty mad?" Lucas said.

"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "I think I almost lost him."

"Charlie, you know that I'm all for finding yourself by being with more than one person in your life," Lucas declared, "but I think that you've been through enough of the wrong people. By wrong people I mean girls. Stephen's right for you. God damn it, if you lose him I'll never forgive you." Charlie laughed a little.

"You're right," he agreed. "Stephen's right for me. I know just how to apologize to him."

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><p>Review if you loved it. Review if you hated it. Review if you didn't actually read it!<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Charlie Weasley, a car, a house, a rocketship, or pigfarts. That got really off track. Basically, I don't own anything.

Warnings: Mention of human/animal sex (Aberforth), gayness?

So as usual my tumblr is spankthebatchild. I'll update again on Monday. I've been writing some random one shots. I previously mentioned my Dumbledore one, but now I've also written a Cato/Clove fic. I'll post it as soon as I get a title. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Reviewing this will bring world peace. That probably isn't true, but you never know. You might as well review it, just in case it works.

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><p>Stephen woke up at five in the morning to a smell he had never expected. The scent of warm blueberry muffins was working its way into his brain, but he was still drowsy. First of all, it was five in the morning, half an hour earlier than Stephen usually woke up. Secondly, the effects of the potion he had taken the night before still hadn't worn off. He took great efforts to force his eyes open.<p>

Charlie was sitting on the edge of his bed with an apologetic look on his face. He had two muffins in his hand that he obviously desperately wanted to eat, but he waited. He waited for Stephen.

"Hey," Stephen said lamely. Charlie handed him a muffin.

"I didn't know how early to get up; so, I got up at four," Charlie said quietly. He was obviously embarrassed, but he wanted something to say. "The breakfast tent wasn't open until five, but they opened it a little early because they saw me standing outside." Stephen nodded, not sure of how to reply to Charlie's statement. Charlie laughed nervously.

"You know I had a whole speech about how sorry I was," he said. "I was reciting it to myself all the way here, but as soon as I saw you asleep I lost it. You leave me speechless, Stephen. I know it sounds cliché, but you do."

"Charlie," Stephen interrupted. "I'm sorry for breaking down so much, but you just have to know that it's how I deal with things. I'm sorry that it scares you, but stuff gets overwhelming for me."

"Then, let me help you," Charlie said lying down next to Stephen on the bed. "Don't break down. Just let me know that have troubles, and I'll be able to help you with them."

"Let me break down, please," Stephen begged. "It makes things feel real." Charlie took a deep breath. He was afraid of this. Stephen actually wanted to break down in a twisted way. All he could do was stand by and watch.

"Ok," Charlie agreed reluctantly. "I love you. If that means standing by you even when you break down, I'll do it."

"I love you too," Stephen whispered and he wrapped his arms around Charlie. Charlie snuggled in closer to him.

"How do you know Aberforth?" Charlie asked. "He's the guy at the Hog's Head right?"

"Hmmm?"

"You said that you were talking to him that day when you were with Brian," Charlie explained.

"Yeah," Stephen said. "He was kind of like a father figure to me I guess. He's Dumbledore's brother so he knew about my mom and everything. He took to me pretty quickly. He saw that my mother had difficulties taking care of me because even at that point she wasn't right in the head. He helped as often as he could. He gave me my first job at the Hog's Head. I needed the extra money."

"He sounds kind," Charlie inferred.

"Nah," Stephen argued. "He can get mean. He just particularly likes people with troubles of their own I think. He's a bit looked down on by society."

"Why's that?" Charlie asked.

"He tried to fuck a goat." Charlie tried to stop himself from laughing. It came out as an awkward snort grunt. Stephen looked at him skeptically.

"What?" Charlie asked. "It's at least a little hilarious, if not disturbing."

"He's lonely!" Stephen protested, but soon he was laughing too. "He's a little crazy, but he's the only one who thought that I was worth helping without taking me away from my mother."

"Then I owe him a thank you," Charlie said when he finished laughing. "He was there for you before I was." They were silent for a while, just taking in the rhythm of each others' breaths.

"Do I get to know about any dysfunctions in your family?" Stephen asked. "You know about all of mine, from my crazy mother, to my absent father, to my sketchy father figure. There's got to be something wrong with your family." Charlie turned around in Stephen's arms to face him.

"In all that you've mentioned you haven't said one thing about a family member being against your sexuality," he began. "Most of my family is good with it, but I have an Aunt Muriel who doesn't speak to me anymore unless it's at a family gathering. Then, she yells across the table for all to hear, 'Charlie! No boyfriend I see. Have you come to your senses and changed you mind about your mistake?' I tense up every time she says my name. I never know what horrible thing she's going to say."

"That sounds terrible," Stephen said sadly.

"That's not the worst," Charlie continued. He had never openly complained about family members before except to Bill, and this felt good. "I have a younger brother who has convinced himself that I'm just going through a phase. I can tell that he wants to accept me, but he can't understand it. He's just awkward around me and leaves my presence as soon as possible."

"I'm so sorry," Stephen said strengthening his grip around Charlie. "Were you two close before?"

"I loved my little brother," Charlie said. "I miss the Percy that used to talk about dragons with me. He used to be so interested in everything that I said. When I came out, I think he decided that I wasn't as smart as he thought I was. He stopped taking me seriously."

"Fred and George seemed good about it," Stephen offered. He wanted to remind Charlie that he had family who still loved him. "Same with Ginny, and you said that Ron wasn't openly against it."

"Fred and George are surprisingly supportive. Also, they like you. Ginny is very much for staying true to yourself. It comes with her stubbornness. Ron would never hate me for it or stop talking to me the way Percy has, but I think it confuses him. He just doesn't get not liking girls. Bill knew from the start I think. He's always been willing to help me. He offers to talk to Percy with every letter that he writes, but I don't let him. I want Percy to come to me on his own terms."

"He will," Stephen assured him. "He'll come around someday. I promise. He'll see how happy we are together, and he won't be able to deny that two men can love each other."

"Why do I get the feeling that you'd have a private chat with him if he didn't?" Charlie asked.

"Probably because I will."

"Let's go back to my tent so that you can get your clothes," Charlie said playfully pushing Stephen away. He stood up and stretched. Their blueberry muffins had been abandoned on the bed. He picked one up and started to eat it.

"Am I sleeping there tonight?" Stephen asked picking up his muffin and his bag.

"If you want to," Charlie said. He took Stephen's hand and they walked off to his tent together.

Charlie felt surprisingly at peace. The night before had been rough. He had eventually left Lucas's tent very late into the night. He had been a little tipsy from the Quintin Black. Therefore, it took much longer to get back to his tent than it should have.

When he had finally gotten there, he fell directly onto his bed. Charlie had had as much difficulty with getting to sleep as Stephen had. He felt sick to his stomach every time he thought of what he had said. It had come out completely that wrong way. Charlie finally fell asleep with thoughts of bringing Stephen blueberry muffins in the morning.

Stephen gave Charlie's hand a reassuring squeeze as if he could read his thoughts. Stephen wasn't going anywhere for a long time. He was going to stay exactly where he was as long as Charlie supported him. Charlie made a mental note never to show weakness in front of Stephen again.

They parted ways for work promising to meet up for lunch. The day was spent with Charlie reminiscing about their first lunch date together. He almost laughed to himself, remembering how he had felt when Stephen had started to unbutton his shirt. He had been so unsure of their relationship at the time. He didn't want to give Stephen what he wanted, because he was afraid that Stephen would be out the door as soon as he did.

This was easier in some ways. Yes, there were family struggles with Stephen, but Charlie had family issues too. It wasn't much new. Yes, Stephen had lost some of his confidence, but his over cockiness had left with it. The more Charlie thought about his relationship, the more he convinced himself that everything would be fine, forever.

Stephen wasn't experiencing calm thoughts, on the other hand. He was nervous. Charlie did that to him. Stephen wanted to make a leap of faith with their relationship that day. He had come up with his plan in his sleep. He had experienced a dream, something he hadn't had in a long time. He didn't like dreams because he felt like he was staring into someone else's life that wasn't his own. This dream, however, was achievable.

He and Charlie had been in a little muggle town. It felt like that town that Stephen had shown Charlie on their first lunch date. He and Charlie were living in a stucco house with a garden. There was an enormous tree out in the front. None of these things were the best part of the dream. A teenage boy sat in the tree. His hair was fiery red. His face was covered in freckles, but he was not unattractive. He had toned muscles and a mischievous grin on his face. The look on his face was almost an exact copy of the faces that Fred and George bore when they had been discovered by Charlie.

"Let me see her!" he begged and jumped down from the tree.

"Patience is a virtue," Charlie said teasingly. He handed a baby to the teenage boy. Right as Stephen was about to see her face, the dream ended. There was nothing more.

Stephen didn't care about the dream ending. He didn't know for a fact that he could get the children that he had seen. He could have one of the things in the dream though.

"Vanessa?" Stephen called into the infirmary tent. "What do you know about real estate?"

"Mmmm," Stephen said pleasurably when he had found Charlie for lunch. "I've missed you all day." He kissed him long and hard. Charlie pulled away a smiled.

"Are we going to our usual spot?" he asked.

"Sort of," Stephen answered with a grin. "What do you say to a little field trip?" He grabbed Charlie and disappearated. Suddenly, Charlie found himself in a little mountain village. He looked up and could see the edge of the cliff that he and Stephen had eaten lunch on. Stephen was suddenly pushing him into an alley. He pulled out a spare pair of clothing from a bag that Charlie hadn't noticed that he had been carrying.

"Here," he said giving them to Charlie and pulling out some clothes for himself. "Put those on. Try to look normal, like a muggle."

"What are we doing here?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"I'll explain in a minute," Stephen said taking his shirt off. Charlie stood around dumbly, not moving to take off his clothes. "Charlie," Stephen said sighing. "I've seen you change before. I have seen your penis. I have seen you moaning and begging for me. I've felt you rut against me and more. I think that you can change into some muggle clothes right now."

"Every time you watch me change one of us makes a move on the other," Charlie pointed out. "Seeing that we are basically in public, I thought that we should stay at least a little decent."

"Fine," Stephen said pushing past him out of the alley way. He had finished changing. "At least we aren't wearing the same thing now."

They stepped out of the alley and proceeded down the street. Stephen was far ahead of Charlie, and it almost looked like he had forgotten him. Charlie sped up his pace and grabbed Stephen's hand. Stephen let go of him and put his arm around Charlie's shoulders instead. He kissed the top of Charlie's mess of red hair. They had reached their destination.

The house that they were standing in front of was not exactly the same as the house in the dream. It didn't have the same garden, and it was missing a tree, but they could plant one. Stephen was able to look at it and call it home. Charlie, however, was staring at him with a mix of speechless, angered, and confused all spread across his face.

A woman in a pantsuit was standing on the walkway to the house. She was on the heavier side, and her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. She waved to Charlie and Stephen when she saw them.

"You must be the Mabriants!" she called to them. She stumbled over to them in her stiletto heals. Charlie stared at Stephen when she addressed them as the Mabriants. "Let's take a look inside. Shall we?"

Stephen gave Charlie's hand a reassuring squeeze and pulled him inside. All the rooms were completely bare, but it was obvious that the house had been lived in before. The paint was chipping in some places, and the hard wood floors hadn't been polished in years. Despite its imperfections it looked like a home. There were three bedrooms and one bathroom. It was the kind of place that a small family could live and grow close to each other. Though it was a lot smaller, the house vaguely reminded Charlie of The Burrow.

"I'll leave you two to discuss it," the realtor said stepping out of the final bedroom and leaving Stephen and Charlie alone.

"So?" Stephen said smiling. "What do you think? Do you want to move here?" Charlie put a hand to his head and walked over to the window. He rested his other hand on the sill.

"I don't know, Stephen," he sighed. "It just seems a little forward. We haven't been together that long at all. We had our first big fight just last night. Who knows if we're ready for this?" Stephen wasn't easily deterred. He walked up behind Charlie and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Charlie," he said in his most soothing voice. "We're moving in together anyway. I just thought that it would be nice to have a place that we could call our own. A lot of couples do it when they get serious. I know of two other magical families who live in this small town. Yes, the fight sucked, but we worked through it. I think that we can work through anything." His hand moved from Charlie's shoulder and started rubbing up and down his back.

"I want to live with you," Charlie insisted. "I really do, but a house just feels weird. I can imagine raising a family here, but I'm not ready to have a family. I feel like living in this house would constantly make me feel like we should go adopt a kid or something."

"We don't need kids yet," Stephen persisted. "This house just feels right for me, in case we ever want kids."

"Can we go through other milestones first," Charlie pleaded. "Meet my family without being in a hospital. Learn to understand why Percy is the way that he is. Get pranked by Fred and George. Be introduced to Ron's bravery. Get in a stubbornness battle with Ginny. Get advice from Bill. Be overwhelmed by my mother's kindness. Learn about muggles from my father. Before we jump into buying a house together, we need to become one family." Charlie was out of breath, but he had gotten through to Stephen. He grabbed Charlie's waist and turned him around. He held Charlie tightly in his arms and looked into his eyes.

"Do you remember what I said to you that first night?" he whispered. His lips were just centimeters from Charlie's.

"You said that I didn't have to have sex with you," Charlie laughed. He had come a long way.

"I said that I would never force you to do anything, and I'd never to do anything to hurt you. That applies to buying houses too." Stephen was laughing now too. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Charlie's. It was a quick kiss, and Stephen was talking again. "I hope that someday you buy a house with me and…" he paused and took a breath, "marry me. I want you to be my husband someday."

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><p>Shocker ending there! Don't worry you'll get another chapter on Monday. 'Til then, REVIEW!<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I am still not the owner of Harry Potter. I do not make money off of this. If I could and if it was legal and not morally wrong I would.

Warnings: The usual stuff. I'm lazy.

So a while back I mentioned losing an entire chapter because my usb split in half. This is that chapter. I had to completely rewrite it and it's not as good as it was before. Also, I may have repeated things previously stated in another chapter because I forgot what was actually written here. I apologize in advance for issues like that. Review please. Tell me you love it. Tell me you hate it. Tell me you can't read. I'll take anything. I made another one-shot. It's a Cato/Clove one called Give Your Feet a Chance. I'm sort of out of ideas for one-shots. If you have any requests you can put them in a review or go to my tumblr spankthebatchild. I can write smut if that's what you're looking for. Speaking of smut: do you want this to be smuttier? I tried to put it in, but it didn't feel write for the story. Tell me your opinion!

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><p>Charlie was in shock for the rest of the day. He kept putting his head in his hands and forgetting what he had previously been doing. Stephen had proposed to him. It was an absolutely preposterous idea. They had only been dating a little over month. Stephen had only met his parents once. Some of his family members he hadn't met at all. Did anyone get married after just one month?<p>

Charlie could push the possibility that it wasn't totally crazy out of his mind. There were a small number of people who had known that they were meant for each other. They got married after an extremely short time. Why couldn't Charlie and Stephen join that group? Besides, Stephen had said someday. They probably wouldn't even actually get married for a long time. An engagement would feel nice.

"You're insane," Lucas argued. They were making note of the markings on dragon eggs. The markings would predict the date of the dragon's birth and whether or not it was a mix breed. "You've actually gone insane."

"I'm not insane," Charlie rebuked. "I don't see why I shouldn't accept his proposal."

"Because you've only been dating a little over a month, he's never shown any devotion to anyone before, and it seems like he said it on a whim. He probably didn't even mean it and wishes that he could take it back."

"So what that we've only been dating a little while. I've known him for a long time. Maybe it's good that he's never shown devotion before. It could mean that I really mean something to him. He meant it. I could tell." Lucas threw his arms up in the air.

"If you want to marry him that's your choice," he exclaimed. "I just think that it's a bad idea."

"Hmmm," Charlie joked, "I don't think you mentioned that yet."Lucas playfully punched him in the arm.

"Just be careful. Ok?" Lucas looked genuinely worried, and Charlie was moved by it.

"Yeah," he said nodding. "I'll be careful." They continued their work without any more talk of Charlie's future wedding.

"Oh my God!" Vanessa squealed. "You proposed! You proposed! You proposed!"

"Calm down," Stephen urged. "I don't want anyone to know yet. He hasn't even answered yet."

"He'll say yes though!" Vanessa answered, not bothering to lower her voice. "You guys are perfect together!" Stephen couldn't help but laugh a little. He hugged Vanessa and lifted her off the ground.

"He said that he was going to give me an answer tonight," he said.

"You have to let me play with your kids," Vanessa said when he had put her back down.

"Vanessa," Stephen laughed. "We're not even married yet. Kids are little ways down the road." Vanessa shrugged.

"When you have them, I get full babysitting rights," she said. Stephen was about to answer her when his owl flew into the tent.

Stephen's owl, Shannon, was the only owl that flew directly into the tents. Other owls, stayed outside the tent and waited for their owners to walk out and see them, but Shannon was smarter than the rest. She could maneuver threw the tent flaps with ease. Her intelligence was what made Stephen want her so badly. When he was thirteen he had finally saved enough money to buy his own owl. He had gone to The Magical Menagerie where he had discovered an owl that had learned to open her cage within a day of hatching. Stephen had known from that instant that Shannon was the owl for him.

Stephen grabbed a bit of biscuit off of his desk and fed it to Shannon while he took the letter off of her leg. She nibbled his finger affectionately and flew back out of the tent. Stephen opened the letter. He took a moment to read it. When he had finished, the expression of his face had changed. It looked irritated, and he stuffed the letter into his pants pocket.

"What'd it say?" Vanessa asked noticing Stephen's change in mood.

"Nothing," he answered. "It doesn't matter. Let's get back to work."

That night, Charlie practically skipped back to his tent. His heart fluttered every time he thought of giving Stephen his answer. The smile on his face vanished when he entered his tent.

Stephen sat in front of the desk. Charlie took in his slouched back, his clenched hands, and his expressionless eyes. Charlie could tell that something was upsetting Stephen before either of them said a single word. He put his hands on Stephen's shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Stephen opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head. "Stephen," Charlie urged, "don't shut me out. I can help you." He pulled out the chair away from the desk. He knelt down in front of it and held Stephen's bandaged face in his hands. Stephen took a breath and silently handed Charlie the letter. Charlie stood up and began to read.

Dear Stephen,

I have bad news, but in some ways it could be considered good. Hear me out. The other day, Bronwyn figured something out. She said that since it takes time for letters to come, she would never receive the letter at the right time. She has stopped trusting them and doesn't respond to their advice anymore. I know that this is truly horrible news, but there is a dim bright side. In some ways it's incredible that she had the presence of mind to figure that out. I know that it isn't much reassurance, but it's something. Write me if you come up with any solutions to our problem.

Sincerely,

Dmitri Hall

Charlie sighed and put the letter down on the desk. He could completely understand Stephen's frustration. There was more to it than the obvious pain he was feeling about his mother's health. It would irritate Stephen that Dmitri had sounded so calm in the letter. It would bother him that Dmitri had tried to put light on the situation. It would anger him that Dmitri had signed it "sincerely" instead of "love." It probably would have angered him even more if Dmitri had written "love."

"What are you going to do?" Charlie asked.

"I have no fucking idea," Stephen answered burying his head in his hands. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Have you thought about sending her to St. Mungo's?" Charlie said tentatively. "I know it's not ideal but…"

"No," Stephen interrupted, "if I take away her freedom, her bookstore, it will just get worse. I know it. I just don't know what to do."

"We'll figure something out," Charlie promised. "Come to bed now. You need rest. You're upset." He pulled Stephen over to the bed where they both sat down.

"I don't want to rest," Stephen argued quietly. He put a hand on Charlie's chest and pushed him down onto the cot.

Stephen crawled on top of him and pressed little kisses on Charlie's face. He purposely avoided his lips which were begging to be kissed. He gently kissed Charlie's forehead, cheeks, and chin before moving to his neck.

He started sucking and biting right under Charlie's ear. It would undoubtedly leave a mark in the morning. Charlie let out an audible moan, and Stephen chuckled to himself. Finally, after much teasing, he kissed Charlie hard on the lips. Charlie let Stephen's tongue inside and felt it move around in just the perfect way. They both moaned together.

Charlie reached up to Stephen's chest and started to unbutton his shirt. His fingers shook with excitement as he undid each button. When he had finished, he hastily pulled Stephen's shirt off. He wrapped his arms around Stephen's back and pulled him closer so that he could rut.

"I'm going to come before we do anything," Stephen protested. He pulled off of Charlie just a little bit. "At least give me room to get your clothes."

He managed to get Charlie's shirt off much faster than Charlie had done for his. He made even quicker work of both of their pants. They rutted against each other lightly until it hurt to go on without more stimulation.

"Tell me you have condoms somewhere in this tent," Stephen gasped.

"Yeah," Charlie moaned. "They should be in the desk."

They ended up with Stephen arms wrapped around Charlie. It was his favorite way to sleep. He liked to have his arms around Charlie because he felt real. Charlie was so firm and just…there. Stephen didn't know exactly how to describe it, but he knew that he loved nothing more than to just hold Charlie in his arms.

"You ok?" he asked. It was always the first question he asked whenever they finished. It was a strange gesture, seeing as before Stephen couldn't have cared less how his partner felt afterwards. As long as it was satisfying to Stephen, he didn't give a rat's ass about the other person's experience.

"Yeah," Charlie answered smiling. He had bottomed the first time they had sex at the Triwizard Tournament. He had done the same ever since. He had no conviction to try topping. Stephen was too good at it. "It was great," he said. He was facing away from Stephen so he couldn't see his smile, but he could feel Stephen's arms relax around him.

"Oh!" Stephen exclaimed. "I completely forgot!"

"What?" Charlie asked.

"You never gave me an answer." Charlie grabbed Stephen's hand which had been resting on his hip. He interlaced their fingers.

"Of course I'll marry you," Charlie answered. "There's no one else I'd rather be with."

"I'm sleepy," Stephen yawned. Charlie laughed.

"You have every right to be," he answered, but Stephen was practically already asleep. His breaths slowed down until they were deep and peaceful. Charlie, however, was nowhere near blissful sleep.

Ideas kept running through his head. He'd get keep getting a thought, but as it developed, it got more and more ridiculous. As it got later, Charlie realized that his ideas were getting more and more farfetched. Eventually, at around one in the morning, Charlie had two solid suggestions. He didn't know which one Stephen would like the least.

Charlie expected to wake up to muffins, but was pleasantly surprised otherwise. He had rolled over in the night to face Stephen. Now, Stephen had his head propped up with one elbow and was stroking Charlie's hair with placid fingers. The expression in his eyes was soft but full of sadness and anxiety.

"No muffins?" Charlie teased.

"Sorry, babe," Stephen said smiling despite the sadness in his eyes. He leaned forward for a tender kiss. "I wanted to experience a "morning after" for the first time in my life." He promptly rolled on top of Charlie, who did not resist. They kissed for a little while before Charlie spoke.

"You've never had a morning after?" he asked. It surprised him, knowing how much sex Stephen had had.

"Not really," he answered rolling back onto his side. "I've either just… left," he said awkwardly looking at Charlie out of the corner of his eye, "or if I liked them, I got them a muffin. I've never just stayed in. It's refreshing." He took Charlie's face in his hands and kissed him once more.

"Did you come up with any solutions?" Stephen asked after a particularly long kiss.

"You aren't going to like either of them," Charlie warned him.

"I'm open to suggestions," Stephen shrugged. Charlie sighed.

"My first idea," he began, "is that you go live with Bronwyn for a little while. See if you can help her while you're with her."

"No," Stephen answered sternly. "I'm not leaving you here alone."

"It would only be for a little while until you figure something else out," Charlie protested. "I can deal with long distance, and I have faith that you can too."

"Charlie," Stephen said slightly angered. "Don't you think that idea crossed my mind? I don't want to do long distance. I love you too much. Besides, I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid that my voice will lose its effect on her the way my letters did," he choked. Charlie gave him the most pitiful look Stephen had ever seen. Charlie grabbed the back of Stephen's head and looked deeply into his eyes. "She isn't stable," Stephen said. "Things lose their effect on her. I can't have that happen to me."

"Shhhh," Charlie soothed him. "Then, I have another idea. It wouldn't mean long distance necessarily."

"Let's hear it," Stephen urged.

"I think that St. Mungo's has a kind of system where they send a nurse to live with someone. We can look into that and see if they can help."

"Alright," Stephen agreed. "Under no circumstances do we send her there, ok? I don't want to do that to her. I've been to those mental wards. I looked into them at one point to see if I should send her there. It is the saddest place that I've ever been. She's had enough sadness already. She doesn't need to live in one." Charlie nodded.

They got dressed in silence. Charlie occasionally reached out to touch Stephen's back in reassurance. He would get a simpering smile in return, but no words were exchanged. Charlie started a fire in his fire pit and took out a bag of flew powder. He wordlessly tossed a handful into the fire. He and Stephen looked at each other, and, when the fire turned green, put their heads in alongside each other.

"St. Mungo's," Charlie spoke into the flames. Their heads spun through the flew network until they landed in St. Mungo's.

"How may I assist you?" a pretty, young witch asked. Both wizards were silent for a moment. When it became apparent to Charlie that Stephen didn't plan on speaking, he spoke up.

"We wanted to inquire about your live-in nurse services," he said. The witch nodded.

"For whom?" she asked taking out a pad of paper and taking notes.

"His mother," Charlie said nodding in Stephen's direction.

"What is her ailment?"

"She is mentally handicapped," Charlie answered. He saw Stephen shiver out of the corner of his eye when he said the words.

"Alright," the witch said smiling, ignoring Stephen's obvious discomfort. "A nurse will be at your current location in an hour to do a full interview. Thank you for choosing St. Mungo's." Charlie smiled at her, and he and Stephen pulled their heads out of the fire place.

Back in Charlie's tent, they wandered back over to the bed to sit down. Charlie held onto Stephen's shivering hand. He needed to find something for both of them to do until the nurse came.

"We've got an hour," Charlie offered Stephen.

"Don't take this as offense in any way," Stephen answered gulping, "but I'm not really in the mood for sex." Charlie blushed.

"No," he chortled, "I meant that I could change your bandages. We want to look presentable, anyway." Stephen complied, and Charlie set to work. He was faster at it, and finished reapplying the bandages just seconds before the nurse arrived.

She rudely appearated directly into their tent. She was older than the witch who had greeted them. She was on the plump side, but she looked anything but jolly. Her hair was tied in a tight bun, and her nurse uniform looked clean and crisp. Stephen jumped a little when she suddenly appeared with a crack. She didn't make any small talk but sat down immediately at the desk's chair and spoke to the two wizards sitting on the cot.

"My name is Martha Thompson," she said pulling out a pad to take notes on. "Name of patient?"

"Bronwyn Mabriant," Stephen said finally finding his voice.

"Symptoms?"

"Distant, easily confused, depressed, and doesn't…doesn't eat," Stephen finished. Charlie reached for his hand. The nurse continued to question Stephen until she had come up with a treatment plan.

"I will live with her for as long as she needs me," the nurse concluded. "I will see what good I can do for her. I will need you, Mr. Mabriant, to come with me for the first month of treatment. I will reassess at the end of the month."She walked out of the tent, and Stephen and Charlie were left alone to say their goodbyes.

"Guess we have to do long distance anyway," Charlie said standing up and walking over to the dresser to help pack Stephen's clothes. Stephen followed him. He came up behind Charlie and wrapped his arms around him.

"It'll only be a month," he whispered. "I'll be back as soon as she lets me leave."

"I know," Charlie said turning in his arms to face him. "Stay as long as you need to. I can handle things here."

They packed for as long as they could before they realized that there was nothing left to do. It was time for Stephen to leave. He wrapped his arms around Charlie and breathed in the smell of leather and ash.

"Don't forget to let someone change your bandages," Charlie reminded him. Stephen played with a piece of Charlie's hair absent mindedly. "Write to me every day." Stephen nodded. "Come home soon." Charlie felt a few tears drip down his face and he gently kissed Stephen's fresh bandages.

Stephen left with Martha, and Charlie was left all alone.

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><p>Review please! Give me ideas for one-shots!<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, let alone Harry Potter

Don't become attached to Bella. I wrote her in, but she'll be written out pretty quickly. She's honestly just a plot device. My tumblr is still spankthebatchild. I've been writing some one-shots if you want to check those out. Review and give me writing prompts please!

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><p>The next month was the slowest of both Charlie's and Stephen's entire lives. Charlie spent every day doing his work, but his mind wasn't on it. His mind wandered to Stephen, and what he was doing at that moment. After work, he spent time with either Vanessa or Lucas. Both were kind enough to listen and talk to him, but neither of them could replace Stephen's presence.<p>

Stephen had to spend every day trying to convince his mother to listen to Caron. He pleaded with her, yelled at her, and ignored her. Nothing seemed to work. Dmitri was no bigger help. He often stood off to the side looking like he wanted to help but not knowing how to go about it. Possibly the worst part of his visit was changing his bandages. Stephen had tried to do it himself, but he soon discovered that he would need to get help. Dmitri had volunteered, but he was no good at it. While Charlie took his time and was gently, Dmitri was rushed and showed no concern for Stephen's comfort. Stephen ended up spending a lot of time at the Hog's Head. Sometimes he drank himself into a stupor, after which Aberforth would have to let him stay the night. Usually, he just went to talk and escape the sadness of his mother's house.

Finally, the month ended. Stephen was allowed to leave. The plan wasn't concrete, but Bronwyn had gotten to the point that she would listen to Caron at certain times in the day. Stephen was still expected to visit once a month, but he was free to leave. He no longer had to suffer entire days with his mother, father, and nurse. He would be going home the very next day. He had sent an excited letter to Charlie in anticipation.

"He's coming back!" Charlie shouted with glee to Vanessa. He had run all the way from one of the testing tents to give her the news. He jumped up and down with excitement.

"That's great!" Vanessa replied putting her hands on Charlie. She tried to calm him down but quickly gave up.

"I have to go get ready!" Charlie said without a hint of embarrassment after pretty much telling a girl his sex plans for the evening.

Charlie hardly ever spent any time making himself look presentable in any way, but that night would be special. Charlie got dressed up in a form-fitting suit and blue tie that contrasted with his hair. He took out a brush a five seconds to make sure that each strand of hair on his head was in place. He had gathered wild flowers and places their petals on the cot. In a moment of inspiration, Charlie stuck a final flower on his jacket. Suddenly, he heard the pop of someone appearating outside. Charlie had planned to wait inside the tent and let Stephen come to him, but he was too excited. He sprang outside in one bound.

Stephen wasn't outside though. Instead there was a little girl, no older than six, crying silently outside Charlie's tent. She had on a pair of jeans and a pink sweatshirt, and she carried nothing but a backpack. She stared at Charlie with wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked kneeling down on one knee to put himself at eye level with her. When he put his hands on her shoulders, he realized that she was shivering with fear.

"My mom sent me!" she sobbed. She suddenly wrapped her arms around Charlie neck and cried for a little while.

"My dad's a muggle," she sniffed. "They came to hurt them. My mom made a portkey and sent me away."

"Shhhh," Charlie calmed her. "What's your name? Who's your mother?"

"My name is Bella," she said. Her crying had finally stopped and she pulled back from the hug that she had given Charlie. "My mom's name is Jaclyn."

"Do you have a last name?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know." Her shivering and crying started up once again. Charlie knew that in the morning he would have to take her to the administration tent to figure out her story, but for now all she needed was warmth and sleep. He took her hand and brought her inside his tent.

Charlie started a fire in his fire pit, and put a kettle over it. Bella sat down on the cot and rocked her legs back and forth. She had mousy brown hair and had a slim body type. Her nose was the sharpest feature on her face that was covered with grief and fear.

"I'm here, babe!" Stephen yelled as he walked into the tent. He sped over towards Charlie and took him in his arms. He was astonished when Charlie shied away from his kiss. Charlie motioned with his head over at Bella.

"Hello there?" Stephen said confusedly when he saw her sitting on the cot. "Charlie, do you want to talk outside?"

Stephen left the tent without waiting for an answer. Charlie quickly followed after him.

"Who is that strange little girl sitting on the cot that I was planning to have sex on tonight?" he asked gesturing to the tent.

"Shhh," Charlie hushed him. "She'll hear you." Stephen crossed his arms impatiently.

"I'm still waiting for answers."

"Her name is Bella," Charlie explained. "She appeared by portkey just moments before you. Someone went after her parents because her father's a mother."

"That doesn't explain why she's here."

"She doesn't know why her mother sent her here. I'm just giving her a place to stay for the night until we can get this all sorted out in the morning." Charlie heard the kettle inside begin to whistle. "That's her tea."  
>Stephen threw his arms up in the air, but he followed his boyfriend none the less. He wouldn't admit it, but it warmed Stephen's heart a little when he saw Charlie hand Bella a cup of tea. She took it timidly and brought it to her mouth. All Stephen could think of how small her hands looked. He sat down on the bed across from her.<p>

"What's in your backpack?" he asked trying to make conversation with the little girl.

"Some clothes," she said taking tiny sips of her tea. "I have cards too."

"Do you know how to play Go Fish?" he asked reaching for the backpack. She nodded, and Charlie's heart swelled. He watched his fiancé and Bella play Go Fish until she yawned and closed her eyes.

Stephen brought up the blanket and wrapped in around her. He climbed off the bed and wrapped his arms around Charlie's waist.

"I've missed you so much," he whispered before meeting his lips to Charlie's. They kissed deeply, passionately. Stephen bit Charlie's lower lip and pulled back. He stared into Charlie's face with lust burning in his eyes.

"I've missed you too, Stephen," Charlie laughed nuzzling his head into Stephen's neck, "but we can't have sex while a six year old girl is sleeping in our bed."

"Where are we supposed to sleep anyway?" Stephen asked. "She's more trouble than she's worth."

"Don't say that," Charlie chuckled. "You like her. I can tell."

"I like her," Stephen agreed. "That doesn't mean I'm willing to give up both sex and my bed for her." Charlie rolled his eyes and grabbed extra blankets off the cot. He grabbed Stephen by the back of his neck and pulled him to the floor.

"We'll sleep on the ground tonight." Stephen groaned. "Just one night. Come on," Charlie pleaded. Stephen obliged and snuggled up to Charlie from behind. He wrapped his arms around him like he had always done before.

"I've missed holding you at night," Stephen whispered into Charlie's ear.

"I've missed being held."

Charlie got the best sleep that he had gotten in a long time that night. Even though he was sleeping on the ground, he felt warmer and safer in Stephen's strong arms. Charlie's sleep was uninterrupted by dreams, and he finally found at peace. Sleeping just wasn't as satisfying without Stephen pressed against him.

Charlie had completely come to expect blueberry muffins in the morning when Stephen was around. He was not at all surprised when he felt Stephen gently shaking him awake, and the first thing that he smelled was the muffins.

"Thanks," Charlie said with a sleepy smile. "You have no idea how much I've missed these. I couldn't get myself to wake up early enough to get them."

"You just missed the muffins?" Stephen asked teasingly. Charlie rolled his eyes.

"You know that I missed more than just blueberry muffins," Charlie answered. They leaned forward to kiss, but quickly heard a quiet noise behind them. Bella had stirred in her sleep.

"She's very brave," Stephen commented. He watched her as she fell still again. "I don't think I'd be able to go through what she went through yesterday."

"She didn't have much of a choice. What other option did she have other than be strong?" Charlie asked. He and Stephen stood up and walked over the cot. They sat on the edge and watched Bella breathe deeply in and out.

"I don't know," Stephen admitted. "I just don't know how I would have reacted had I been in her situation."

"You would have been strong," Charlie insisted. "I know you would."

"Only if you were there with me." Bella's eyes slowly fluttered open. She glanced around the room for a second, as if she had forgotten where she was. Darkness suddenly covered her face as she remembered.

"I smell muffins," she said tiredly. Stephen gently handed her his own muffin. She took it graciously and began to dig in. Charlie and Stephen waited until she was done before they began their questions. As soon as she swallowed her last bite, Stephen spoke up.

"Can you tell us anything else about yourself?" Stephen asked.

"I live in London," she said proudly. "We moved there last year." Stephen nodded. The information wasn't much, but it was something to start on.

"Do you have any idea why your mother would send you to a Dragon Reserve?" Charlie asked.

"She always talks about her friends who work with dragons," Bella admitted.

"Do you remember their names?" Charlie asked.

"No." They had reached another dead end. This little girl was full of them. Stephen sighed exasperatedly.

"Can you tell us who was going after your parents?" he prompted.

"I heard my mom call them death eaters and then said something about Quidditch."

Charlie glanced at Stephen. Everyone had heard of the riot of Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup. Charlie had waited anxiously for hours to find out whether or not his family had gotten away safely. He had been relieved that no one he knew had been hurt, but it was still frightening. It made it clear that old supporters of Voldemort were getting riled up again.

"We're going to have to take you to the administration tent when we pick up our schedules this morning," Charlie explained. "They might have an idea of who your parents are."

"Why can't I just stay with you?" Bella asked pitifully.

Stephen understood where she was coming from. She didn't know who these friends of her mother's were. She had probably never met them before or didn't know them enough to trust them. She had just spent the night with Charlie and Stephen. They were probably the people that she'd be most comfortable with. Stephen knelt down in front of her.

"We'd love to have you stay with us," he explained, "but you need to find your mom's friends for when she comes looking for you. Also," he glanced up at Charlie with a smile, "we have no idea how to take care of a little girl."

"My mom isn't going to come looking for me," Bella insisted. "She told me that." Charlie's heart broke when he her say it. "You could take care of me. You did it last night." Stephen shook his head.

"Don't give up on your mom," he reprimanded. "She loves you, and she won't give up on you. Besides, last night was only one night. I skip meals when I'm not hungry. I'd probably forget that you're too young for that. I don't know what I'd have you do during the day. We just can't take care of a child right now." Bella looked stubborn and slightly angry.

"I'm not giving up on her," she disputed. "She told me that it would be safer if I didn't live with her and my father." Stephen put a stern look on his face.

"You're going to the administration tent," he said. "That's final."

Stephen and Charlie walked ahead of Bella, but they could hear her following them. He feet dragged in the rocky soil of the mountain. They took her to the administration tent where a witch took her into a separate room to question her. Stephen and Charlie were left outside.

"How's your mom?" Charlie asked.

"I don't see a difference," Stephen scoffed, "but Martha claims that it takes time. To be honest, I doubt it'll ever get much better."

"Don't lose faith. Something is bound to work," Charlie assured him. Stephen shrugged.

"What do you think is going to happen to her?" Stephen asked nodding his head towards to administration tent. "Do you think she'll ever be reunited with her family?"

"I like to think that she will," Charlie answered. "Why? What do you think?" Stephen sighed.

"I think that they're already dead," he said staring up at the sky. "It seemed to me like they were practically waiting to be killed." Charlie shuddered.

"Do you think that she knows?"

"Yeah," Stephen sighed. "I think she knows. I also think that she knows her last name. I think she doesn't want us to find her parents."

"You're definitely a Ravenclaw," Charlie assured Stephen. Stephen looked at him skeptically.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"I mean that you're so smart, more than that though. You're insightful," Charlie smiled at his boyfriend who looked down at the ground.

"I don't feel smart about some things," Stephen admitted. "I don't feel smart when it comes to you or my mom."

"Another sign that you're a Ravenclaw," Charlie laughed. "You don't work with strong emotions well."

They walked away from the tent in silence, just taking in each other's presence. They had silently agreed that it was best to keep moving and come back in a little while to check up on Bella. Charlie rested his head on Stephen's shoulder.

"I really did miss you," he murdered.

"I missed you too, Charlie," Stephen said. "The trip wasn't a total bust though." They stopped and Charlie looked up at him.

"Why's that?" Stephen reached into his pocket. He pulled out an old photograph and handed it to Charlie.

There was a teenage boy in the picture smiling and waving at the camera. He was obviously Stephen by his nose and bright blue-green eyes, but his hair was brushed in a different way. It made him look much younger. He was standing in the Ravenclaw Common Room next to a Hufflepuff girl with dark hair that was cut pixie short.

"I didn't know that you knew Vanessa while you were at school!" Charlie said incredulously. Stephen nodded.

"She was one of my best friends," he explained. "We lost touch while she worked at St. Mungo's, but it was easy to reconnect when she moved here."

"You guys look so different," Charlie said laughing. "I had no idea that Vanessa would ever wear her hair short." Stephen laughed.

"Don't mention it to her. I think that her past haircuts repulse her now. She likes her long wavy hair."

"I think she looks cute," Charlie said. He glanced down at his wristwatch. "We should probably get back to the Administration Tent. They're probably done questioning Bella." They walked back to the tent hand in hand, happy that they could be together again after a month of waiting.

Before they even got back to the tent, the witch that they had left Bella with came running up to them. Her hair was flying back behind her, and her face had sheer terror and shame written all over it.

"Have you seen Bella?" she cried clutching Charlie's arm. Stephen grabbed her and spun her around to face him. He held onto her shoulders sternly.

"You lost her!" he yelled shaking the witch.

"I got up to use the bathroom, and when I came back, she was gone!" Stephen let go and twirled to face Charlie.

"We have to find her," he declared. He and Charlie took off running shouting, "Bella!" as they went.

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><p>REVIEW!<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: My status of not owning Harry Potter has not changed, and it never will change

Warnings: Gory stuff in this one. It's got a seriously violent murder. It's pretty gross

So I just got out of school. Woohoo! That means that I'll probably have more time for writing, but it won't be reliable extra time. I'm thinking of updating twice a week some weeks but not every week. As always I'm looking for requests for one-shots. Review this story and tell your friends! Thanks! Enjoy!

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><p>It didn't take too long to find Bella. She was only a few feet away from the Administration Tent. She didn't answer their calls though, and she didn't know that they had found her.<p>

Stephen and Charlie discovered her at the exact same time. Bella was laying spread eagle on the ground, obviously dead. While one easily could have killed her with the Avada Kedavra curse, this was not their plan. Charlie turned around and started gagging at the sight while Stephen knelt down next to the broken girl to get a better look.

Someone had sliced open her stomach and had taken out several of her organs and placed them beside her. Each of her limbs was bent the wrong way, and there were cuts and scrapes completely covering her body. Two X's had been cut into her eyes which were clouded over with death. Blood was pouring out of her mouth, and upon further inspection, she was missing several teeth. Stephen stood up and shook himself off. He walked over to Charlie who was vomiting over and over again.

"At least she isn't in pain any longer," Stephen said rubbing his boyfriend's back. It sounded lame while they were staring at her mangled corpse. Charlie gagged a little bit longer but found the strength to speak.

"Who would kill her?" he asked shaking with fatigue from throwing up.

"I don't know," Stephen admitted. "A lot of strange things are going on though." Charlie looked at him inquisitively. "Well you've heard about Bertha Jorkins, the ministry worker who went missing. It's a little weird, don't you think?"

"People say that she goes missing all the time," Charlie argued. Stephen shrugged.

"It's not just that," Stephen admitted. "It's something that Brian said when we went on our walk."

"Don't pay attention to whatever Brian said," Charlie warned. "This poor girl's death is not connected to Bertha Jorkins in any way. I promise."

Stephen nodded, but he looked unconvinced. He walked back over to Bella's body.

"I really liked her," he said holding back tears.

"Me too," Charlie, who was letting the tears fall freely, agreed. Stephen made a move to pick her up, but Charlie grabbed his arm. "Don't touch her," he commanded. "The ministry will want to do an investigation."

"I'll go contact them," Stephen offered, leaving Charlie alone with a distorted body.

Charlie felt the intense need to vomit again; so, he sat down. He could feel Bella's lifeless eyes staring directly at him, and he had a sudden urge to turn her head around, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to touch the body. He pondered Stephen's words, but he doubted them. It was ridiculous to think that Bertha Jorkins, Bella, and the muggles at the World Cup were the all connected. Perhaps, it was more scary than ridiculous, but either way Charlie didn't want to believe it. It would mean another wizarding war was on the horizon.

Every time that Stephen blinked he saw Bella lying exactly as he had found her. He prayed that he would never have to see another human being in that state ever again. Over the course of just one night, Bella had started to feel like a daughter to him. If she, Charlie, and administration had allowed it, he would have adopted her. He wouldn't say it at the time because he didn't want to get his own hopes up, but he never expected her to die.

Stephen decided to contact the Ministry through letter. They would come as soon as they received it, and he wanted just a couple of hours of peace before he was sure to be questioned. He took out a piece of parchment and quickly jotted down a note explaining the events. He sealed it up and gave it to Shannon to take to the Ministry. Before he let her fly away, Stephen took out another piece of parchment. He quickly recounted to events for Dumbledore. Stephen knew that Dumbledore would have many helpful speculations about Bella's death, and he would want to know about it so that he could take her name off of the Hogwart's admissions list.

As soon as Shannon flew out of the tent, Stephen put his head down on the desk and put his hands on the back of his neck. It was then the let just two tears fall. It was all that he would let. He had been letting out too many tears of late. It wasn't something that he used to do. This boyfriend did all kinds of things to him. For whatever reason, it now felt acceptable to cry. In the past, Stephen found himself crying a punishable offense. Now, it happened almost once a week.

Stephen jerked his head up when he heard Charlie enter the tent. He quickly wiped the two tears from his face and stared up at his beautiful boyfriend. Charlie still looked pale from his nausea.

"You left her alone?" Stephen asked. Charlie shrugged.

"She doesn't care. She's dead. I couldn't stay there any longer," Charlie explained. "It makes me sick that we didn't save her." Stephen stood up from where he was sitting and wrapped his arms around Charlie, who promptly started to sob.

"Shhhh," Stephen quieted him. "There's nothing that we could have done. It's ok. She's safe now. She doesn't have to run." Charlie took a breath and looked up at Stephen.

"Do you believe in that?" he asked. Stephen cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Do you believe in an afterlife? Do you believe that she's somewhere else now?" Stephen took a breath and looked off into the distance.

"Yes," he answered after a moment. "I always have. I wouldn't call myself particularly religious, but I firmly believe that good people go on."

"It sounds relaxing to believe in such things," Charlie agreed.

"Don't you?"

"I don't know," Charlie admitted. "I used to, and sometimes, I still do. Other times, it just seems like a fantasy."

"That's what's so good about it," Stephen insisted. "It's too good to be true, but maybe it is. You just have to hope."

Charlie smiled at Stephen and rested his head on his shoulder. He gently kissed his neck lightly, not to initiate sex but just to let him feel his love. Charlie had a lot of love for Stephen. He let out a sigh of relief just to be in this man's arms.

"What do you want to do while we wait for the ministry?" Stephen asked whispering into Charlie's ear. His breath tickled his neck, and Charlie's breath hitched.

"I want to think about life instead of death," he answered.

"How do you suggest that we do that?" Stephen questioned.

"I want you to show me more pictures from your days at school," Charlie replied. "I liked looking at the last one."

Stephen pulled him Charlie over the bed and took out a small box. Inside, it was completely filled with photographs. The top picture was Stephen with a handsome brunette. The brunette had a goofy grin on his face while young Stephen was looking at him with nothing but lust. They were sitting in front of the Black Lake with schoolbooks spread out around them.

"Who is he?" Charlie asked smiling because he had almost forgotten the horrors he had faced earlier.

"My first boyfriend, Todd," Stephen answered. He was smiling as well, but his smile was more nostalgic than Charlie's intrigued one. "We're thirteen in that picture. We broke up three months later."

"Why'd you guys break up? You look so happy in this picture," Charlie touched the face of the younger Stephen. The people in the enchanted picture continued to wave at Stephen and Charlie.

"Well," Stephen said awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "Todd was bi, and I think he fell in love with this girl, but he denied it. Eventually, he was so infatuated with her that he couldn't help himself. He asked me if I was willing to do a three way with them. Naturally, I refused. We broke up immediately following that." Stephen shrugged. "I've broken up with a lot of people, Charlie. I'm sure that it was all just leading up to you." Charlie wasn't thinking about how many people Stephen had broken up with though.

"Had you had sex by that point?" he asked nervously, fearing the answer more than Death Eaters showing up at his front door.

"God no!" Stephen exclaimed. "That's what made the three way idea even worse. I lost it in fifth year, not with Todd."

"That's still pretty young," Charlie mumbled under his breath. "You intimidate me, Stephen."

"Why's that?" Stephen questioned. "You were great even your first time." Charlie cringed slightly at the awkward comment.

"It's not a question of how good I was," Charlie protested. "I mean. You lost it without an issue in your fifth year. I was a virgin until quite recently. I don't know. It just intimidates me."

"Who ever said it was easy," Stephen disputed. "He was an older guy. I had a panic attack the entire day before we did it. It wasn't that enjoyable to be honest. I wasn't ready. I broke up with him directly afterwards because I was afraid."

"Well I'm glad you never forced me," Charlie replied pushing the photograph to the bottom. They continued looking at the photos until the Ministry came.

The reservation was crawling with Ministry workers. Each employee was a suspect, and each employee was questioned. Stephen was interrogated before Charlie. He was sat down in a folding chair while a ministry worker paced around the room.

"You actually met this girl?" the ministry worker asked. Stephen nodded. "Tell me how you came about to meet her."

"I had just come back from a trip visiting my mother. When I came home, my boyfriend had already found her and taken her in.

"Why were you visiting your mother?" Stephen looked up at the ministry worker incredulously.

"If you're thinking that she was involved with this, you can give up on that idea now. I was helping her settle in with her new nurse. She's mentally handicapped, you see," Stephen said through gritted teeth. The ministry worker looked taken aback. He continued to question him until he was satisfied that Stephen had not been affiliated with Bella's murder. Next in line was Charlie.

"Had you ever met Bella before last night?" the ministry worker asked after several other questions.

"No," Charlie answered. "I'd never seen her before."

"You say that she didn't give you her last name," the ministry worker continued. "Are you under the impression that she didn't know her last name?" Charlie took a breath. All the questions were making him nervous.

"No," he answered slowly, "I believe that she didn't want us to find her parents for her. I think that she was under orders from her parents not to give out her full name."

"Then you think someone was after her?" Charlie gave the ministry worker a confused look.

"Of course," he scoffed. "People don't just kill children like that out on a whim." After much questioning, Charlie was cleared for the time being as well.

Charlie wandered out of the tent that he was questioned in within a daze. The interrogation had tired him out even more than finding Bella dead. He put a hand to his forehead and set about finding Stephen. He needed strong arms to collapse into.

Stephen was standing just a little distance away. Next to him stood Vanessa, and they were both staring intently at something on the ground. Charlie didn't even notice that Ministry workers were also surrounding the area. He excitedly ran up to Stephen and threw his arms around him from behind.

Stephen lightly patted his back, but he did not greet Charlie. He continued to stare down at the ground. Charlie shifted his eyes downwards to see what he and Vanessa were staring at. Stephen was getting his last look at Bella before the Ministry workers took her away for further investigation. Charlie felt himself gag a little at seeing her body again. Charlie took a moment to regain his composure before he spoke.

"Are you okay, Stephen?" Charlie asked. He ran a hand up and down Stephen's arm.

"Yeah," Stephen responded. "I just really liked her."

"I'm going to go find Lucas," Charlie said. "He'll probably want to know what's going on. You and I are the best people to explain the situation." Stephen barely nodded in response. A tear rolled down his bandages, and Vanessa started to shake slightly while trying to hold back crying. "Hey," Charlie said taking Stephen's face in hands. "They'll find whoever did this to her, and they'll stop them. I promise."

Charlie gently let go of Stephen to go off in search of Lucas. As he stepped away, Stephen wrapped Vanessa in his arms and let her cry. Charlie was barely a foot away when he felt Stephen grab his arm.

"I didn't mean to push you away," Stephen said with full concern in his voice.

"I didn't feel like you pushed me away," Charlie shrugged. "Do you want to come with me to find Lucas?"

"I think I had better take care of Vanessa," Stephen admitted. "She's really emotional right now." Charlie cocked his head to one side in confusion. Stephen thought he looked so cute when he did that, but he kept his mind on track. "I discovered something other than a dead body this morning."

"What's that?" Charlie asked. Stephen looked nervously around himself and turned back to Charlie.

"She's pregnant," he said. "She isn't sure what she's going to do about it."

"Who's the father?" Charlie asked.

"She won't tell me," Stephen said. "Charlie," he sighed. "You know that I'm going to traveling for my mother a lot in the near future." Charlie nodded. "Take care of Vanessa for me. She doesn't have a lot of other people to rely on."

"Of course," Charlie answered. "I'll take care of her, if you promise to make it home as often as possible." Stephen took Charlie's face in his hands.

"I'll come back every free moment I get," he whispered. "I can't stand to be away from you." He gently kissed Charlie.

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><p>Review!<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I'm not doing this for money.

Warnings: Nothing that wasn't there before

So this is my second update this week because I'm bored because I'm on summer vacation!

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><p>The next couple months were difficult for both Charlie and Stephen. They each had to face hardships that weren't used to. They both found themselves often wishing that life could go back to how it was right before the first challenge.<p>

Stephen had to constantly move back and forth between Hogsmeade and Romania. During his time with his mother, all he could think of was going home to see Charlie. He couldn't focus on his family, and to be honest, he didn't see any changes in her behavior. Martha claimed that she was making leaps and bounds, but it wasn't apparent at all to Stephen. To him, Bronwyn was exactly the same as she had always been.

While Stephen was with Charlie, he couldn't enjoy himself. He was worn out from travel and worry; so, he went to bed early. He couldn't be with Charlie that often during the day because they both had to work, especially Stephen who had to make up for his time away. His mind was never on his work or Charlie though. All he could think of was his mother.

Charlie had his own issues as well. Nightmares haunted him while Stephen was away. Most of them included Bella's gruesome death-which he assumed would haunt him for the rest of his life-but not all of them. He dreamed that Stephen would leave him for an ex-lover. He dreamed of death eaters coming to take him away, and he dreamed of Bronwyn dying. Charlie feared that he would lose Stephen if anything ever happened to Bronwyn.

Charlie had also promised Stephen that he would take care of Vanessa. He spent a lot of his days holding her hair up while she had a bout of morning sickness. He listened to her vent, and gave her the best advice he could, but she would not reveal who the father of her child was. She had decided to give birth to the baby, but after that she didn't know what she would do.

Vanessa leaned up against the wall of the bathroom after a particularly bad fit of vomiting. She ran a hand through her curly dark hair and let out a sigh.

"Charlie," she said closing her eyes.

"Yeah?"

"What am I going to do with this baby?" she asked. She turned to him with sadness filling her eyes. "I can't take care of it." Charlie sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"You'll figure it out," he insisted. "For now just get through the pregnancy." Vanessa nodded, but she started to feel tears welling up in her eyes.

"People say that it's worth the pain of labor when you finally see your child's face, but what about the people who aren't keeping their babies. What are we supposed to feel when it's finally over? Relieved?"

"I don't know," Charlie admitted. "Are you sure that you won't raise it yourself?" Vanessa scoffed.

"I was never meant to be a mother." She absent mindedly played with the fabric of her shirt. "Is Stephen coming home today?" Charlie smiled a little at the mention of Stephen's name.

"Yeah," he answered. "He'll be here any minute I think." Vanessa nodded in response. "You know that he's going to expect an answer."

"You don't have an answer," Vanessa protested.

"That's different. He's been your friend for ages. He's going to want to know who the father of your child is."

"Well, I'm not telling him," Vanessa said stubbornly. Charlie sighed.

"Vanessa," Charlie pleaded. "Please remember that he was born out of wedlock. I get the feeling that he is going to be very emotionally invested in both you and this child." Vanessa stood up, suddenly angry.

"Charlie," she said sternly. "I'll remember Stephen's feelings if you remember this; there are several big differences between Bronwyn and me. First, she was a teenager. I am an adult. I am capable of making my own decisions, and I made a bad one. Second, Stephen's father was a professor, causing Bronwyn to be ridiculed for the rest of her life. I won't tell you who the father is, but I will tell you that he is not in a position of authority over me. Fathering my child is a completely acceptable thing for him to do." With that, Vanessa stormed out of the bathroom and left Charlie alone. He hoped that her outburst had just been hormones acting up.

Once again, Stephen had seen no improvement on his visit. Bronwyn was as distant as ever. He could convince her to eat, but he couldn't convince her to listen to his letters or anyone else. Bronwyn only ate when Stephen was there, and even then, she ate very little. Stephen was slowly watching his mother leave him. She couldn't last long like this.

"I love you, mom," Stephen said pulling his mother into a hug before he left again. "Try to listen to my letters this time, will you?"

"They don't come at the right time," Bronwyn argued.

"You can eat whenever you want," Stephen insisted.

"No one's as smart as you," she retaliated. "You know when it's right to eat." Stephen shook his head. He didn't have time for an argument that he couldn't win.

He appearated into the dragon reserve and looked around himself for Charlie. It was the morning, but it was late enough that Charlie wouldn't be in the tent anymore. Stephen figured that it would be smarter to get some work done before he went looking for his fiancé.

There was a pile of paper work on his desk in the infirmary tent. Stephen was in charge of all medically related things on the east side of the reserve. Even while he was absent, he had to go through all the paper work of every injury that had taken place. He had to be sure that each one had been properly administered to. It was Stephen's least favorite part of the job.

"Lucas!" Charlie called into Lucas's tent. Lucas emerged from his cot.

"Sorry," he grumbled. "I slept in." Charlie tore the blanket off of him

"I don't care about that, but I have a very serious question for you. If you lie to me I will find out," Charlie said sternly. Lucas nodded at him with a confused expression on his face. "Did you sleep with Vanessa?"

"Vanessa? Vanessa…" Lucas murmured. Charlie hit his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Never mind," he said exasperatedly. "Who haven't you slept with?" He started to turn to leave again.

"No!" Lucas yelled jumping up. "I remember! She has the crazy, dark hair, right?"

"So you did sleep with her?" Charlie inferred.

"Yeah," Lucas said scratching his head. "Why? Is she okay?"

"She's pregnant," Charlie said storming out of the tent, leaving Lucas to think alone.

Lucas didn't want to think though. He wanted to act. He couldn't possibly be a father. He wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility or worse, that kind of devotion. Lucas knew very little about his emotions (he wasn't the emotional type), but he did know that he was not in love with Vanessa. At the same time, he couldn't leave her to take care of the child herself.

Still, it was possible that he was not the father. Charlie had made it pretty clear that even _he_ did not know who the child's father was. Before making any rash decisions, Lucas would need to confirm things with Vanessa.

He wandered out of his tent to find her when it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know where to begin. He had met Vanessa at dinner one night. He had no idea what area she worked in. He didn't know which section her tent was in. All he knew was that Charlie seemed to be friendly with her. To find Vanessa, he would have to find an angry Charlie first.

"You're back, and you didn't tell me!" Charlie raved when he found Stephen hunched over a pile of papers in his office.

Stephen could tell that something was bothering Charlie. He tried to look humbled and apologetic, but he couldn't help but think of how hot Charlie looked like this. His hair was all ruffled up, and his fists were clenched, making his muscles flex ever so slightly. There was a roaring fire in his eyes, and he looked over powering. Stephen cleared his mind and voice before he spoke.

"Calm down, Charlie," he soothed. "I just wanted to get some work done so that we could actually spend time together tonight. What's bothering you?"

"I don't know! My boyfriend has been moving back and forth, and he doesn't even bother to tell me when he's around!" Charlie plopped down in a chair across from Stephen. He was practically foaming at the mouth in anger. Stephen gracefully tipped his chair back and took on an air of relaxation.

"There's more bothering you. I can tell," he said knowingly. Charlie glared at him and then looked down at his clenched fists. He relaxed them a bit.

"Vanessa still won't tell me who the father is," he mumbled. Stephen cocked an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Charlie to become upset over something as trivial as that. "I have my guesses though."

"Oh?" Stephen said interestedly. He turned back to his work, but he kept his head slightly tilted to one side to let Charlie know that he was listening.

"I think it's Lucas," Charlie said looking up and sighing. Stephen abruptly turned around in his chair to stare at Charlie.

"You mean your friend Lucas? The one with the crazy light blonde hair? He got Vanessa pregnant?"

"I'm not positive," Charlie admitted, "but they did have sex."

"I'm confronting her now!" Stephen exclaimed, standing up. "This has dragged out for too long. I'm her best friend! She's got to tell me." He started towards the door, and Charlie followed him. "No, you stay here. I'll tell you everything when I get back. I know how to get through to her."

"I'm the one who's been holding her hair back while she throws up her entire stomach!" Charlie protested.

"Thank you for that," Stephen said kissing his forehead. "You've been wonderful, but it's my turn now. Meet me in the tent tonight? I promise I won't be too tired this time." He gave Charlie a winning smile and started to seductively kiss him. He gently tugged on Charlie's bottom lip with his teeth, just the way Charlie liked. Charlie playfully pushed him off.

"Go find out everything, or maybe I'll be the one who's too tired." Stephen took off to go find Vanessa.

He didn't go more than ten steps before he slammed right into Lucas. He put a hand to his head where he had been hit. He could feel the scarring in that area start to bleed a little. It didn't matter much. Charlie would change his bandages that night anyway. They would tear and bleed regardless.

"I'm so sorry that I hit you, but I'm glad that I found you," Lucas said enthusiastically. Stephen gave him a dirty look, partially due to getting Vanessa pregnant and also running into him.

"Why did you want to find me?" Stephen answered irritably.

"I need you to help me find Vanessa," Lucas explained. "I think she might be having my kid." Stephen took his hand off his head, and looked Lucas up and down. Stephen had always believed that he was good at hiding his emotions from everyone but Charlie, but Lucas was something else. He didn't look the slightest bit worried. Either Lucas was completely heartless, or he was skilled at hiding fear.

"I'll show you to her," Stephen agreed. "I've got a bone to pick with her anyway."

Stephen led Lucas to the tent that Vanessa was working at in awkward silence. Stephen was mentally sizing Lucas up. He knew that Charlie liked something about him. They had been friends for as long as Stephen could remember. In fact, he realized that he didn't know how they met. Stephen knew that Lucas wasn't any kind of competition. He was straight according to Charlie and judging by the fact that he slept with Vanessa. Stephen just wanted to know what made Charlie like him so much. If he and Charlie were to be married, he would want to better know Charlie's friends.

"So," Lucas said awkwardly swinging his arms as they walked, "how did you and Charlie meet?" Stephen cocked his head in annoyance. It was a dumb question- one that he had most likely already asked Charlie.

"He had a scratch on his first day. I checked it out," Stephen answered simply. In truth, it was that simple. Stephen had heard the rumors at that point that there was a new gay man in the dragon reserve that day, but he didn't meet him until Charlie was injured. It didn't take long. Charlie often took risks with the dragons.

Lucas nodded in response. His expression gave away that he was searching for something else to talk about. Luckily for him, they had reached Vanessa's infirmary tent.

"Vanessa!" Stephen called into the tent. He saw Lucas open his mouth, but he gestured for him to be quiet. "I'm home!" Stephen heard Vanessa's squeal of excitement and saw her sprint into the room. She stopped short when she saw Lucas.

"Lucas," she said giving Stephen and evil eye. "What are you doing here?" Lucas looked to Stephen for permission to speak. Stephen nodded and leaned back against a desk to watch the explosion.

"I may have heard that you were pregnant," Lucas started. "I was wondering if…"

"You're not the father," Vanessa interrupted. Lucas let out a sigh of relief, which Vanessa rolled her eyes at. "I'll kill Charlie," she murmured. Stephen stood back up.

"Hey," he warned. "Don't do anything to Charlie. He was just trying to help." Vanessa groaned and sat down in a chair.

"People need to get off my back," she grumbled.

"Will you tell me who the father is?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Then, I won't stop bothering you," Stephen said shrugging. Vanessa rolled her eyes again.

"It really doesn't matter. It's just some guy," she protested.

"Does he know?"

"Yeah."

"Is the douche bag doing anything to help you?" Stephen challenged. Vanessa gave Stephen a small smile.

"He isn't a douche bag, and no. I told him not to worry about it. He was grateful for that." The more she spoke, the sadder she looked. Stephen had known Vanessa too long to be fooled. He knew that she actually had feelings for whoever the father was. Her eyes always gave her away. At this moment they were distant, nostalgic, and full of worry. Before Stephen could comfort her, Charlie came rushing into the tent.

Stephen took in his expression. Charlie looked wild and terrified. He held a piece of parchment tightly in his hand. His face was red from obviously running faster than he ever had in his entire life. He looked ready to vomit with fear. All of his limbs shook, and he could barely get his words out.

"Dumbledore…letter…Diggory…Death Eaters...back from dead…" Charlie gasped. Stephen rushed over to him and put two hands on his shoulders. He stroked up and down his arms, desperately trying to calm him down.

"Slow down, Charlie," he urged. "Take a breath and explain." Charlie just shook his head and handed Stephen the letter.

Master Charlie Weasley:

The Order of the Phoenix is being reunited. Voldemort has returned. Do not believe the papers. Young Cedric Diggory has been murdered. Keep an eye on everyone working directly with the dragons. We must not let Voldemort take them. 12 Grimmauld Place.

Yours truly,

Albus Dumbldore


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I own a rabbit. That's it. I own nothing else especially not Harry Potter

I meant to upload this at eight tonight. (8:00 in my time zone) Instead, I took a nap because I did volunteer work all day.

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><p>Stephen and Charlie were lying down on their cot completely entangled to the point that Charlie didn't know which leg was his. Their clothes were in all corners of the tent because they had been taken off in quick fury. Stephen had just gotten home from one of his longest trips yet, and Charlie would be leaving in only a few minutes. They had finished long ago, but Stephen continued to kiss and bite at Charlie's exposed neck. He couldn't get enough of it.<p>

"If you keep doing that I'm going to get hard again," Charlie warned. Stephen just increased his tempo and moved back on top of Charlie.

"Good," he said smiling into Charlie's neck. Charlie delicately pushed Stephen off of himself and sat up.

"Nope," he said. "I've to go soon. I don't have time for this." He got up off the cot and started to search for his clothes. Stephen sat up in bed to admire the view.

"Why do you have to go?" Stephen whined. "Stay in bed with me; it's warmer." Charlie laughed and finally found his pants, which he started to pull on.

"I haven't been the last three Order meetings. Dumbledore wants to talk with me," he explained. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me this time?" Stephen immediately his playful attitude and got serious.

"I've already explained to you, Charlie," he said with a bit of an edge in his voice. "I'm not joining the Oder. It's not that I don't think what they're doing is important, but I do not want to get involved." Charlie rolled his eyes. This was a sore topic for them. Charlie just couldn't understand why Stephen wouldn't want to become directly involved with fighting off Voldemort.

"You won't even come? You wouldn't have to be in the meeting, but I'm spending the night there," Charlie pleaded. Stephen sighed.

"As much as I want to spend the night with you," he assured Charlie, "I don't know what I'd do while you were in the meeting. Besides, I have to watch over Vanessa. She's in her eighteenth week."

Charlie forgot about his irritation at the mention of Vanessa. Her morning sickness had subsided long ago, and her moodiness was wearing away. Now she was just filled with the pregnant glow. She still wouldn't tell who the father of her child was, but she had decided that she would mother it herself. She had the decision spontaneously the first time that she felt the baby kick. The baby was a girl and Vanessa had been talking about nothing but names for days.

"Has she settled on a name yet?" Charlie asked.

"Today she settled on Adriana," Stephen said smiling, "but tomorrow it'll probably be different." Charlie laughed and nodded in agreement. "You should go," Stephen said reluctantly. "They're probably waiting for you." Charlie gave Stephen a goodbye kiss and disappearated.

Grimmauld place was quiet when Charlie arrived. There wasn't a single muggle in sight, but things were better that way. It would be easier for Charlie to sneak into the apartment without anyone seeing him.

The second he entered the house, Charlie was attacked by a hug from his mother. She spoke in a flurry, so quickly that Charlie could barely understand what she was saying.

"You haven't come in so long! How is Stephen? Is his mother holding up all right? You look skinny? Have you been eating?" she let go of him and started to bustle over to the kitchen to cook something for Charlie to eat.

"Mom, I'm fine," Charlie laughed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ron standing off to the side. He smiled at his youngest brother and opened his arms for an embrace. Ron gave him a hug and stepped back again.

"How's Stephen?" he asked. Ron had been obliging when Charlie had finally brought him the news of his boyfriend. He was unaware that many of his other siblings already knew, but Charlie was just glad that he had accepted it so quickly. All that was left was for Ron to actually meet Stephen. Unfortunately, it was too late for Percy.

"He's doing alright," Charlie answered. He pulled Ron off to the side to have a whispered conversation with him while Mrs. Weasley cooked a meal. "Any news from Percy?"

"No," Ron said through gritted teeth. "They twat's refused to answer letters from anyone in the family." Charlie sighed and nodded. It seemed that nothing would ever change with the Percy situation. He had practically completely removed himself from the family. Not even Bill could get him to come home.

"It'll be alright," Charlie assured Ron although he wasn't sure of it himself. "He'll come around when he's good and ready."

Moments later, Charlie sat at the long dining room table while the Order discussed business. Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny had all been ordered upstairs, and Charlie found himself wishing that he was with them. The work of the order interested him greatly, but he didn't have much to add to the discussion. He lightly traced a scratch in the wooden table, listening only to be sure that no one was addressing him. Glancing over to the other side of the long table, Charlie could see that he was not alone in feeling near useless. Sirius was slouched in chair lightly tapping his fingers to some beat playing in his head. His eyes were distant, and Charlie could tell that he wasn't comfortable at all. How could Sirius Black be comfortable sitting in one place?

"Any news, Charlie?" Albus Dumbledore suddenly asked him. His icy blue eyes were trained directly on the young dragon keeper. They made Charlie wish that he had more to offer than he did.

"No," he said regrettably. "I haven't noticed anyone making any kind of move to steal the dragons. As far as I can tell, no one even is in contact with He Who Must Not Be Named." Dumbledore sighed, showing a sign of weakness only for a split second before facing Charlie straight forward again.

"Come now, Charlie," he pleaded. "We both you know that you are among the bravest at this table. You can say his name." Charlie's heart swelled a bit at being counted as one of the bravest though he did not know why Dumbledore had said it.

"No one is in contact with Vol…" Charlie paused and glanced at his mother who had just taken a sharp breath, "Voldemort." Dumbledore nodded, obviously impressed.

"That is good news," he concluded. "Don't let your guard down. Don't get comfortable. I wouldn't put it past Voldemort to go after dragons." Charlie nodded in understanding. The conversation changed, and Charlie reentered his world of day dreams.

Stephen put a tentative hand to Vanessa's belly. She had just felt a kick and wanted Stephen to feel it as well. The moment Stephen's hand made contact with her stomach, he felt it. It was the littles tap but undeniably a kick. A smile stretched across Stephen's face, and he wrapped Vanessa into a warm embrace.

"She is going to be so loved," he said. "You are going to be such a wonderful mom, and Charlie and I are going to lover her so much."

"I know," Vanessa answered. "It's funny; I'm not as scared anymore. I've read everything that I could possibly read, and I'm ready. Now, I just have to wait for the baby." Stephen pushed her away to arms length and eyed her skeptically.

"You're just saying that to reassure me," he said, calling her bluff. "I'm not going to stop taking care of you, no matter how many times you tell me that you're okay."

"Oh thank God," Vanessa sighed falling back into his arms.

Stephen led her over to a chair, and sat her down. She rested a hand on her baby bump. From where Stephen stood, Vanessa looked weak. Stephen had never seen her look frail before. Vanessa always had an air of Excitement and strength. Before, she looked ready to dance or learn or at least read. Now, she just looked like she wanted to take a nap. Stephen pulled a chair over and sat down next to her.

"Promise me something, Vanessa," Stephen pleaded, suddenly taken with fear for his best friend.

"Hmm?" she questioned lazily looking up at him.

"If you ever need anything, come to me immediately," he insisted.

"Sure," Vanessa nodded. "Right now, I just want to sleep."

Vanessa's eyes fluttered shut, and her breath slowed to the steady pace of slumber. Stephen simpered and grabbed a blanket off of one of the sick beds. He gently wrapped it around Vanessa and left her to sleep.

He wandered over to his desk where he started into his mountain of paperwork. It was tedious work, and the longer he did it the more tiresome it became. Even the most exciting injuries weren't enticing in the form of paper work. Stephen continuously felt his eye lids grow heavy with fatigue, but he kept himself awake. It was time to catch up on his work. With a pile of papers on his desk, he was left without time for those he truly loved.

"You look tired," Ginny said worriedly later when Charlie sat on her bed with her.

Fred was in another corner of the room inspecting an old portrait whose person was silently screaming. Ginny had covered it in a blanket it before, but Fred seemed to find it absolutely fascinating. Ron sat cross legged on the floor reading a magazine with the Chudley Cannons on the front. He vigorously turned every page, taking in every single part of their exclusive interview. George was leaned against the wall of the bedroom, lazily flicking his wand back and forth. Little sparks flew out, and, as far as Charlie could tell, they were completely useless. Charlie could still remember what it was like to suddenly be able to use magic outside of school. It brought a whole new air of excitement to even the simplest spells.

"I am tired," Charlie admitted yawning to demonstrate. "Work's just overwhelming sometimes. Every once in awhile, it becomes a little too much. The feeling goes away eventually," he shrugged.

"It's more than work," Ginny argued. "I can tell."

"Yeah," Charlie nodded. "It's a lot of things." He knew that he wasn't satisfying Ginny with his answer, but he didn't feel like delving into things too deeply. Ginny rolled her eyes in dismay and picked up a book to read.

"When do I get to meet Stephen?" Ron asked suddenly looking up from his magazine. Charlie smiled at Ron's enthusiasm. "I mean: everyone else has."

Charlie was caught off guard. He looked around the room at each of his siblings to try and figure out who had told him. Fred stayed focused on the portrait, Ginny didn't look up from her book, and George looked like he was off in his own world with his wand. Charlie shook his head in defeat and turned back to Ron.

"You can meet him anytime – as long as he's in a good mood. Talk to mum and dad about coming to visit me," Charlie proposed. "I'd like some company up there anyway."

"Sounds good," Ron agreed. "It's going to have to wait a while, though. Hermione and Harry are coming soon. Will you be around when they come?"

"Afraid not," Charlie said apologetically. "I have to get back to Romania tomorrow. Stephen finally got home again, and we like to use our precious moments together to the fullest."

Fred let his eyes leave his portrait just to turn to snicker at Charlie. Charlie, in response, threw a pillow in Fred's direction. Fred tore out his wand in a flash and turned the pillow into feathers. Seeing the excitement of vaguely useful magic, George drew himself out of his trance. He turned his wand towards the pile of feathers at Fred's feet and incinerated them. All five siblings started to laugh simultaneously.

"Seriously though," Fred joked, "that was the most sexual and awkward thing that you have ever said."

"I didn't mean it to be," Charlie said shaking his head. "I just meant that we don't get to see each other all the time due to our schedules."

"Don't make excuses, mate," George laughed. "We're just happy that you're getting laid." Ginny laughed at her brothers' ridiculousness, and Ron went a little red in the face.

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley knocked on the door and came in without waiting for an answer. She smiled to see her children all sitting together, but there was little sadness in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak and instead, closed it again. She started to tear up. Charlie sprang up from the bed to wrap his arms around his mother.

"Hey," he said apprehensively, "what's wrong?" Molly Weasley sniffed a little and cleared her throat.

"I just wish that Percy was around to laugh with all of you," she choked. Ron rolled his eyes and reopened his magazine. Charlie gave his youngest brother a dirty look and turned to face his mother.

"He'll be back," he reassured her. "He's going to come back." Mrs. Weasley nodded in agreement even though it was obvious that she wasn't so sure.

"You should all be getting to bed," she said. "It's getting late." With that she turned and closed the door on her way out.

"I don't even want Percy to come back," Fred complained, plopping down on the bed next to Ginny.

"Yes you do," Charlie reasoned. "You miss him."

"No," Fred said shaking his head. "I really don't. He was always bringing me down – acting like I wasn't as good as him just because I don't have the same outlook as him." Charlie closed his eyes in near defeat.

"Fred," he pleaded, "right now you feel betrayed, but I promise it won't always be this way. When Percy finally comes back to us, you'll be happy to have him back."

"Fat chance," Fred answered. He and George disappearated with a pop. Ron left moments later for his own bedroom, and Charlie followed him. He gave Ginny a quick goodbye kiss on the cheek since he would be gone before she woke up in the morning.

Charlie didn't feel like sleeping though; so, he went downstairs. Standing in the hallway was his school friend and at one time girl friend, Nymphadora Tonks.

"Tonks!" Charlie yelled forgetting that his siblings were probably trying to sleep. He dashed down the stairs and threw his arms around her.

"Charlie," she laughed returning the hug. "It's been too long!"

"C'mon," Charlie said motioning with his head towards the front door. "Let's catch up."

Tonks quickly grabbed two butterbeers, and moments later, they were sitting on the front steps of Number 7 Grimmauld Place. They laughed and teased as if they were still fourteen year old students meeting for the first time after a Quidditch match. Tonks found herself bringing up that first day.

"I was so impressed by your seeking skills," Tonks chuckled. "I think it surprised everyone when you decided not to do Quidditch professionally." She took a swig of butterbeer.

"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "It's probably not the most surprising decision that I ever made though." Tonks laughed.

"You're probably right about that," she agreed.

"Did it hurt your feelings?" Charlie asked. "I know that we were long broken up by that point, but did it still hurt?" Tonks considered things for a moment.

"Nah," she concluded. "It wasn't that bad. I was just happy that you had figured things out for yourself. I hear that you have a boyfriend now."

"Yeah," Charlie said smiling at the mention of Stephen. "I've known him for a while, but things finally came together last November. What about you? Have you found anyone?"

"I have my eye on someone," Tonks said slyly.

"Who?" Charlie questioned nudging her with his arm.

"I can't tell you yet," Tonks answered shaking her head. "I promise I will as soon as I can."

"Why not?" Charlie whined.

"He'd probably be creeped out," Tonks replied. "Besides, we haven't known each other very long."

"He'll come around," Charlie assured her. "You're irresistible." Tonks smiled at him in gratitude.

"You're always so sure of everything," Tonks indicted. "Don't you ever have doubts?"

"Oh I get doubts," Charlie said, "but I know that in the end everything will work out. In the end, you and your mystery man will be together, Stephen and I will be together, Percy will be back with the family, and Harry will reach his destiny."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own shit

I would give you a fun little message or something, but I'm sick and really just want to go to bed. Good night and enjoy!

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><p>"Are you serious right now?" Vanessa asked astonishedly while Lucas awkwardly played with his food.<p>

Once again, Charlie and Stephen had opted to have their lunch alone, and Vanessa was left without a lunch mate. She had come to terms with eating by herself when Lucas had shown up out of the blue. Ever since his scare with being the father of Vanessa's baby, he had tried to get closer to her. He would follow her everywhere she was going, just waiting for her to need help with something. This time was different though. This time, Lucas was looking for help.

"I wouldn't kid about something like that," Lucas assured her. Vanessa sighed and placed her fork back on the table. She rubbed her fingers through her scalp and tried to think.

"Lucas," she groaned, "you've gotten yourself in a huge mess."

"I know. I know," Lucas almost yelled. "Just tell me what to do!"

"Well," Vanessa started, "I can't make this decision for you. There are pros and cons to both options. If you tell Charlie you'd put him in a really bad position, but if you keep this secret a secret it could end badly."

"That's unhelpful," Lucas moaned. "I need help." Vanessa shook her head.

"You have to do this on your own," she insisted. Lucas rolled his eyes in frustration. "One thing, Lucas. Make you decision quickly. Soon, it will be too late."

"Hmmm," Stephen hummed into Charlie's ear. Once again they were amidst a pile of sheets on their cot. Their lunch had long since been abandoned to pursue more amusing things. Now, they were both wrapped in each other's arms in a way not thought humanly possible.

"That was good," Charlie chuckled, pulling Stephen even closer.

"It's always the best the day after I come back," Stephen agreed. "There's still the desperation of finally seeing each other, but I'm a lot less tired after a night of sleep." Charlie laughed and pressed a tender kiss to Stephen's lips. He lingered only for a moment, not wanting to instigate more sex. For now, he just wanted to talk.

"How was visiting your mom?" Charlie asked. He had started absent mindedly playing with Stephen's long, slender hands. Each finger was well sculpted– to the point that you could tell where each joint was, but they avoided being knobby.

"Same as always," Stephen shrugged. "She eats when I'm there, but she's very stubborn. Sometimes I wonder if paying St. Mungo's is worth it." Charlie nodded in understanding. Stephen wasn't exactly rolling in cash, and neither were his mother or father.

"How's Dmitri dealing with all of this?" Charlie questioned. He knew that Stephen would be irritated by the question so he wrapped his arms around him again to keep him planted.

"I don't know. I don't care," Stephen answered indifferently. He tried to roll off the cot nonchalantly, but Charlie kept him where he was.

"Yes, you do," Charlie remonstrated. "Deep down you care."

"No," Stephen said successfully pulling himself away from Charlie and standing up. "I don't care how he's feeling, what he thinks we should 'try next', or whether or not he even stays with her. Sometimes, I wish he had never chosen to go to her." He hastily pulled on his shirt and pants, and sat down on the cot to tie his boots.

"Where are you going?" Charlie demanded, sitting up to watch Stephen move about the tent.

"I just have to go for a walk or something," Stephen said standing up. "Clear my head."

"I didn't expect that to have such an effect on you," Charlie said apologetically. "Did something happen?" Stephen rubbed his eyebrows with his hand.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I mean no! I mean… I don't know. Just let me go for a little bit." Charlie nodded, and watched Stephen go, comforted by the thought that it was difficult to find a significant amount of alcohol anywhere on the reserve. People had their own private collections within their tents, but there wasn't a bar for quite a distance, and Stephen wouldn't leave the reserve without telling Charlie.

Stephen kicked dust as he walked. There was a burning in his eyes that was either from frustration or the dirt landing in them. He didn't know which – nor did he care. Charlie had been both wrong and right at the same time. Nothing had directly happened, but Dmitri just got on Stephen's nerves. He was too optimistic.

Dmitri would constantly pretend that they had any kind of a plan, when in truth they were making things up as they went along. He would cheer any time that Bronwyn agreed to do anything, while Stephen would sigh in relief that it finally seemed like they were getting somewhere. Worst of all, Dmitri tried to encourage Stephen.

It was infuriating, the way he would ask about Charlie. He constantly made references to him. There were endless ideas about where they should have their wedding or even their honeymoon. Dmitri acted as if he was in any kind of position to help Stephen plan his future. He seemed to think that Charlie was important to him as well.

Stephen found himself on the ledge where he and Charlie usually shared their lunch when they got the chance. He sat himself down and stared out at the horizon. Romania really was a beautiful place to live. It had a very rugged feel to it, but when you got down to the matter it was lovely.

Stephen wanted to yell, cry, flail, or anything, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. All he could do was sit and watch the clouds move slowly in the sky. He felt awful and sick, but he knew what he had to do. He knew what his duty was as a good boyfriend and fiancé.

Stephen saw Charlie's supportive smile as he walked back into the tent, and he wanted to kill himself. He wordlessly sat Charlie down onto the bed and held his hands. He looked deeply into Charlie's chocolate brown eyes. He took a breath.

"Charlie," he began, "I love you so much." Charlie opened his mouth to speak, but Stephen held up a hand for silence. "I realize that our lives are crazy right now. There are times when neither of us are home, and I know that it can be overwhelming."

"It's nothing that we can't handle," Charlie protested. "It's fine. We have our little moments together."

"No," Stephen disagreed, shaking his head. "I know for a fact that you want to get married and have kids. I know that you want that to happen soon."

"Stephen," Charlie laughed, "I can wait for that. We have plenty of time."

"But what if we don't," Stephen demanded. "What if our schedules never change, and the time never comes for us to have a kid. Then, you'll be living in regret, and I won't be able to stand that." Charlie eyed Stephen with a distrusting eye.

"What are you getting at?" he asked nervously.

"What I'm trying to say is," Stephen sighed, "if you want to pull out of the engagement, I won't be hurt. I'll understand."

Charlie gaped at Stephen for a long time with his mouth hanging wide open. He closed his eyes and shook his head a couple of times. Stephen looked down at Charlie's hands which he was still holding. Suddenly, he heard the sound of laughter coming from Charlie.

"Are you crazy?" Charlie asked through his fit of giggles. "Stephen, I'm not going to break up with you! I can wait forever for kids as long as I'm with you!" Stephen let out a sigh of relief while Charlie actually fell off the bed with laughter. He tried to hide his smile as he spoke.

"I would have sworn that you were about to break up with me," he admitted gasping for a breath that he had been holding. "My heart was beating at a thousand miles an hour." Charlie took a break from his laughing to look up at his ridiculous fiancé.

"You're insane," he chuckled. "Now get on the floor with me!"

"You call me the insane one," Stephen said rolling his eyes, but he lay down next to Charlie anyway.

Stephen immediately wrapped his arms around Charlie the moment he hit the floor. He placed gentle kisses into Charlie's hair and hummed with pleasure. Charlie hummed and smiled back. They sat like that – smiling and humming – until Lucas walked in to interrupt them.

"Oh God," Lucas exclaimed averting his eyes. "I'm sorry for intruding!" Charlie laughed and sat up.

"It's alright, Lucas," he said. "You didn't impede on anything. C'mon in."

Lucas walked gingerly towards the desk chair, feeling awkward because Stephen and Charlie were still on the floor. Charlie tenderly pushed Stephen off of him, and crawled up to sit on the bed instead. Stephen followed after him.

"Having a good day back, Stephen?" Lucas asked to make conversation.

"It's been swell," Stephen answered winking at Charlie. Lucas blushed the color of beets, and Charlie was moved with pity.

"What did you want Lucas?" he questioned, trying to get him out of an awkward situation. Lucas looked thankful for a second and opened his mouth to speak. Then, he suddenly closed it, thought for a moment, and finally spoke.

"I completely forget," he admitted. "Sorry guys! I'll remember and tell you later Charlie." He sped out of the tent as if his life depended on it. Charlie stared after him with a puzzled expression, but Stephen had already moved on. He started to kiss, bite, and suck on Charlie's neck. Charlie smiled and returned the favor.

Lucas trudged away from Charlie's tent feeling no better than he had that morning. He had gone there fully planning on telling Charlie his biggest secret. Vanessa was right. It couldn't stay a secret much longer. Lucas was positive that today was the day to tell Charlie everything, but he couldn't go through with it. Seeing Charlie and Stephen so happy together on the floor made Lucas stop. He couldn't bring himself to break up their happiness. Undoubtedly, that is what he would have done had he mentioned anything to Charlie.

"Did you do it?" Vanessa asked worriedly joining Lucas.

"No," he admitted. "I couldn't go through with it. They're too… happy." Vanessa nodded in understanding, but she was firm with what she said next.

"They are happy," she agreed. "You can't let this secret out now. It has the full potential to take away their happiness." Lucas opened his mouth to protest, but he knew that Vanessa was right. He silenced himself on the matter until a better time came.

Several members of The Order gathered in Number 12 Grimmauld. They were preparing for a special mission that would hopefully get meaningful results. Among the assembled were Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill Weasley, Mad Eye Moody, and Mundungus Fletcher. They stood around the dining room table as Dumbledore gave them their mission.

"Now," he explained when they had all congregated, "I have information that a meeting of Death Eaters will be held in a small shop in Hogsmeade – a small bookshop to be exact. Your job is to clear out as many as possible and round them up for Tonks, Kingsley, and Alastair to take to the Ministry. Cause as few causalities as possible, and take much care in not hurting the owner of the shop. According to Molly and Arthur, she isn't responsible for the meeting. Take care and good luck."

Bill and Mr. Weasley disappearated along with the Ministry workers - leaving Dumbledore, Molly, and Sirius behind. They stood around the table for a moment before Dumbledore announced that he needed to return to the school. He implored that they send him a letter as soon as the mission was over and disappearated.

"How do you know about the owner of the shop?" Sirius asked Molly to make conversation.

"She's the mother of Charlie's boyfriend, Stephen," she explained. "I have no idea how she possibly got mixed up with Death Eaters." Sirius considered this for a moment.

"Does she have anyone living with her?" he questioned.

"Just Stephen's…. Oh God," Molly gasped. "You don't think that Stephen's father could be a Death Eater do you?"

"I'm not saying for certain," Sirius began, "but it would make sense." Molly walked over to a window and stared out, silently praying that Stephen's mother would be alright.

Members of The Order burst into the room and were immediately hit by a shower of curses, but they were quick. They produced shielding charms left and right, and defended themselves. Most of the Order were just sending out stunning spells and things of the like, but Mundungus had obviously not listened very carefully to Dumbledore.

Bill dodged yet another of his killing curses. This one had just barely missed him, and Bill could only pray that no one had been hit by one yet. He ran on and hid behind a counter.

"Fletcher!" he yelled. "No killing curses! Watch your aim!"

As Bill spoke there was a burst of smoke. Everything went pitch dark, and Bill felt around with his hands to get his bearings. He heard shouting, a flash of green light, and then, only a few seconds later, the lights came back.

Bill leapt to his feet with his wand raised, but there was no danger left. The aurors, Mundungus, and Bill's own father were all who were left. Bill let out a breath and lowered his wand. They had failed utterly and completely. Suddenly, Bill felt enraged.

"Dung!" he shouted running towards him. He grabbed Mundungus by the shirt and practically lifted him off the ground. "Did you hit anyone with those spells?" Mundungus didn't answer, but Tonks pointed to a far corner of the room behind Bill.

Bill put Mundungus down and slowly turned around, terrified of what he would see. He already had a pretty accurate assumption, but nothing could have prepared him for actually seeing it in the flesh. The second he was fully turned around, Bill began to cry silently.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't make money from writing this

Shit's gonna get real! My tumblr is still spankthebatchild. Be sure to check out my other stories and review this one. Enjoy!

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><p>Charlie spread his arms out across the bed searching for Stephen. He hands met empty sheets, and so, he patiently waited for the smell of blueberry muffins to hit his brain. When he realized that his breakfast wasn't coming anytime soon, he opened his eyes to a shocking display.<p>

There were flowers completely covering his tent. Every corner had a bouquet in it, and every bouquet was complete with a little card. Charlie scrambled out of bed and tore a card of off the first flower arrangement that he got his hands on. He read it with a confused expression, and moved on to the next one. It took six cards for Charlie to realize what had happened, and even then he had many unanswered questions.

"Dear Stephen Mabriant,

We express our deepest condolences for the loss of your mother."

Stephen stood apart from Vanessa, and while they were both showing their emotions similarly, there were obvious differences. Both were crying seemingly uncontrollably, but Stephen was quiet. Tears were rolling down his face in waterfalls that never seemed to plan on ceasing. Vanessa sobbed. She made a sound with every shake of her body - every tremor with her tears she cried out – as if it pained her to cry so much. Stephen kept running a hand through his hair, while Vanessa held her head like she had a migraine. Stephen tore the bandages off of his face when he realized that they were completely soaked and falling off anyway.

Charlie ran to his fiancé and wrapped his arms around him, but Stephen didn't fall into his arms the way he expected him to. He stood perfectly straight and didn't look directly at Charlie. He continued to stare into the distance.

"Vanessa," he choked. "Comfort Vanessa."

Charlie was confused at first, but he figured that Stephen needed to deal with his pain in his own way. He rubbed Stephen's arm and moved over to Vanessa. He had barely gotten near her before she collapsed and rested her face on his shoulder. He pulled her into a hug and started to stroke her back. Vanessa was practically screaming and biting his arm. She trembled so much that Charlie was afraid that she wouldn't be able to stand without his presence. Charlie found that he was crying as well, but it was different too. He wasn't sobbing like Vanessa, but he wasn't detached from the world like Stephen. He was just beyond unhappy. It wouldn't surprise Charlie if he was never happy again. He looked over Vanessa at Stephen. He was seriously concerned for Stephen's sanity. He looked so lost and forlorn. He kept rubbing tears off of his cheek. It should have been incredibly painful, but he didn't even flinch. In a desperate attempt to bring Stephen back to reality, Charlie spoke.

"How did it happen?" he sniffed. Stephen broke out of his trance.  
>"There were Death Eaters in her shop," he explained. "The nurse was one of them. Members of the Order went to clear it up. Some guy named Mundungus misfired." Charlie closed his eyes and nodded, still trying to no avail to comfort Vanessa.<p>

Charlie knew Mundungus Fletcher. He wasn't a big fan, but he never expected in a million years for something like this to happen. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Stephen was feeling. There was nothing Charlie could say – nothing he could do – that would make this better.

The day of the funeral came quickly. Charlie stood in his tent, adjusting his tie while staring into the mirror. Time with Stephen had been difficult but bearable. He was willing to help prepare for his mother's burial, but Charlie could tell that his heart wasn't in it. Stephen simply wasn't ready to say goodbye. Charlie heard Stephen walk up behind him.

"You look very nice in a suit," he complimented. Charlie could see in the mirror that his eyes were red, but he wore a smile on his face. The smile was beaten down, broken, and not genuine. Charlie couldn't blame him. No one could expect him to smile on a day like that day.

"Thank you," he answered. He turned around and pulled Stephen to himself. He placed a loving, chaste kiss to his lips. "Do you need to talk?"

"What if no one goes?" Stephen asked worriedly. "No, I take that back. Who would go?"

"That's what you're worried about!" Charlie said incredulously. Stephen ducked his head in shame. "Stephen that should be the least of your worries. Your mother touched many people's hearts with her little book store. My mom, dad, and Bill are coming. Members of the order are coming. The only ones that I know of who aren't, are Sirius and Mundungus. He would have come, but we told him not to."

Stephen gave Charlie a sad smile. Charlie took in his fiancé's posture. Stephen normally stood perfectly straight, but now his shoulders were slumped. There were little differences to his appearance that only someone who knew him very well would notice. Stephen's fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. It was only a matter of time before they would have a purple hew. His eyebrows were ever so slightly closure together, as if he was trying to look into the direction of bright sunlight.

Vanessa suddenly entered the tent. Her eyes were also red around the rims; her makeup was beginning to smudge. Vanessa had not stopped crying since the day that she had received the news. She may have been seven months pregnant, but that didn't stop Vanessa from looking absolutely stunning on the day of Bronwyn's funeral. Her hair was in a loosely braided bun, and she wore a black dress that was tight on top but flared nicely over her baby bump. Both Stephen and Charlie had given up long ago on finding out who the father was. Vanessa had made it clear to them that they were to be the fatherly figures in the girl's life. She finally had actually decided on Adriana for a name. Everyone was now just tired of having to wait for the baby's arrival. Two months seemed like too long of a time to anticipate the coming of a baby.

Lucas also arrived in the tent. He had combed his hair back for the occasion. He had not originally planned on going to the funeral, but Charlie had begged him for it. He could never say no to Charlie when he pleaded with him the way he had. Once they were all gathered, they disappearated to Hogsmeade.

It was a small funeral, but Charlie thought that everything looked fairly nice. Everything was in various shades of violet – Bronwyn's favorite color. Charlie didn't often like to think about the body in the casket, but he had to admit to himself that Bronwyn looked surprisingly good. For the first time he had ever seen, Bronwyn looked at peace.

For a while people milled around speaking to one another. The atmosphere was kept solemn, and Charlie tried to be sure that he got a chance to speak with everyone there. Stephen would be too preoccupied to be sure that he was being a gracious host. When Charlie laid eyes on Dmitri, it was the saddest sight he had ever seen in his entire life. Dmitri had worn a clean suit and combed his hair for the service, but something in his eyes made him seem out of place. It was as if he had just rolled out of bed. After what seemed like an eternity, it was time for people to go up to say their final words about Bronwyn. Stephen was supposed to start things off, but he was nowhere in sight.

Charlie broke away from a slightly awkward conversation with Kingsley to find his fiancé. He found him sitting up against the back wall of the book shop. His arms were wrapped around his knees. Tears were running down his cheeks - the first tears he had shed that day. He quickly began rubbing them away when he saw Charlie approach.

"Hey," Charlie soothed sitting down next to him. He wrapped an arm around Stephen's shoulders and let him sob into his chest.

"I'm not ready," he cried. "I'm just not ready…"

"I know," Charlie consoled. "People will understand if you don't want to speak." Stephen took shuddering breaths. In between each he tried to speak but would just collapse into more bawling. Finally, he caught his breath and found his voice.

"No," he said determinedly. "I may not be ready to say goodbye, but it's my duty to send her off." He jumped up, straightened his shirt, and walked back to the funeral without another word.

Stephen took a long breath when he reached the podium. He closed his eyes and pulled a paper out from his suit pocket. He spread it out on the podium and swallowed.

"My mom wasn't like… wasn't like most moms," he began, "but that doesn't change the way I feel about her. She provided for me in a world that… was so cruel to her. Her number one concern was the safety of her son. Some of you may be skeptical towards how much help she could have been to me. Well, I'll tell you this. She never stopped believing in me, and that's," Stephen's voice cracked, and he shook his head in irritation. "That's all I needed." He quickly crumpled up his paper and stormed away. Charlie knew for a fact that he had more the read.

"Don't follow me," Stephen growled as he disappearated. Charlie felt intense concern for Stephen, but he knew had a responsibility to stay for the burial. Vanessa took her cue and went up to the podium. She was surprisingly put together for someone who had been screaming only days before.

"Growing up, I was kind of a weird kid. My mom and I didn't always see eye to eye," she started.

Stephen appearated in front of a brass gate covered in ivy. He took a shuddering breath and opened it. He closed it gently behind him. He began the longest walk of his life.

"Now, we're closer than we were before, but I can't owe my teenage years to her. I owe my happiness to Miss Mabriant. She never judged me for how I acted or what I looked like. She judged me for the fact that I took care of her son."

Stephen was mesmerized by the great menagerie he was walking through. The sun was just setting; so, the light was enough to see but cast a gentle glow over the garden. The doors to the magnificent mansion in front of him were even more impressive than the gate before. Stephen swallowed his pride and knocked.

"Today is such a hard day for everyone who knew Bronwyn. I don't think anyone is ready to say goodbye to such a caring woman." Vanessa sighed and stepped down from the podium. She sat down next to Charlie and held his hand for the rest of the funeral.

Later that night, Charlie carefully took off his jacket and hung in his wardrobe. He took off his tie, and unbuttoned his collar. He sat down on the cot, closed his eyes, and anxiously waited for the return of Stephen. He drifted off but was awakened by the sound of Stephen moving around the tent.  
>"I didn't mean to wake you up," Stephen said apologetically. Charlie suddenly felt fully awake. He sprung up from the bed to confront Stephen.<p>

"Where did you go?" Charlie demanded. His eyes were filled with fire, but Stephen seemed to not notice his anger. He waved the question off.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go to bed," he mumbled. Charlie grabbed his shoulders and practically shook him in rage.

"Of course it matters!" he bellowed. "I was worried about you. Everyone was worried about you! You can't just run off like that." Abruptly, Charlie threw his arms around Stephen. "I was afraid that you weren't coming back," he whispered.

"I'll always come back to you," Stephen promised. "It doesn't where I've been. I'm here now. Let's go to bed."

This time Charlie complied. He let Stephen drag him to bed. Stephen took the part of the outside spoon, and brought his fiancé close to himself. He nuzzled his nose into Charlie's back and willed himself to forget everything. He wanted to lose himself in the smell of the dress shirt that Charlie was going to ruin by sleeping in.

Stephen closed his eyes, but was startled to instead of meeting darkness, seeing evil eyes staring back at him. He gasped and reopened his eyes. He took a deep breath and closed them again. Bella's body lying feet away. Another breath. Bronwyn in her casket. Stephen's eyes shot open once more. He almost shouted in frustration, but he remembered that he couldn't explain it all to Charlie.

"Charlie?" he whispered timidly.

"Yes, Stephen," Charlie answered. He could hear the anxiety in Stephen's voice, and it only brought on more curiosity about what he had done earlier that night.

"Would you talk to me until I fall asleep? I seem to be having issues calming my nerves," he requested. Charlie found it to be an odd request, but he wanted to do something for his obviously distraught boyfriend.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked.

"Just tell me a story."

Charlie told Stephen every Tale of Beedle the Bard he could remember. He could feel Stephen's breath begin to even against his back, but he didn't cease his stories until he was positive that Stephen was fast asleep. Then, he quiet put out the candle next to their cot and closed his own eyes. He willed himself to sleep even though his heart was filled with apprehension and worry.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

This is it. Lucas's secret will be revealed! My tumblr is spankthebatchild. I'm sorry that this is a day late. I uploaded to document yesterday, but I totally forgot to do the whole adding the chapter part. Sorry about that. There's a lot on my mind. Anyway, here it is. Review!

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><p>Charlie tried to pretend for the next month that everything was normal, but it just wasn't. Stephen no longer took trips to Hogsmeade for he no longer he had the need to. It concerned Charlie because it meant that Stephen had no real contact with Aberforth. In his time of need, Charlie believed that Stephen needed Aberforth more than possibly anyone else. Charlie didn't like to leave him for Order meetings, but he had no choice. Just because one person died did not mean that the rest of the world stopped. Life kept spinning on.<p>

It was only a month until Vanessa's baby was due. She looked more and more exhausted every day, but her usual charming personality was kept up. She took naps prescribed by Charlie fairly often, but she only looked happy when she was working by Stephen's side. Stephen, on the other hand, never looked happy. He always looked preoccupied on something else – something Charlie would not discover until a very fateful night.

Lucas sat with Vanessa. They were eating a dinner that he had prepared. His cooking had surprised Vanessa in the best way. She had never had orange chicken as good as this. All of a sudden, her face scrunched up a bit.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked nervously. Vanessa took a breath and put a hand to her stomach.

"Yeah," she assured him. "The baby's just kicking harder than usual lately." Lucas nodded and smiled. He knew that the baby wasn't his and that both he and Vanessa weren't romantically interested in each other, but he was nonetheless excited to see Adriana for the first time.

"So," Vanessa said continuing the conversation. "You're not going to tell Charlie your little secret right?" They had started referring to it as such. Lucas laughed anxiously and shook his head.

"It doesn't seem right," Lucas admitted. He searched Vanessa's face for an expression. She kept her face blank. "Please. Tell me what you would do!" Vanessa sighed.

"I've said before that this isn't my place to interfere," she warned, "but I do have an opinion on the matter." Lucas nodded in anticipation. "I would tell him, but I wouldn't expect any good to come of it."

"Then what's the point!" Lucas shouted. Vanessa turned her head away. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I know the point. It's time I get it off my chest."

"Exactly," Vanessa nodded. She started to eat her chicken again when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She grimaced and nervously at Lucas, but he hadn't noticed. She cleared her throat as a cover for the groan of discomfort that she let out.

"When should I do it?" Lucas questioned. He was poking at his food with his fork, but he had no intention of eating it. His insides were swirling uncomfortably within him.

"Mine is the same answer as before," Vanessa responded. "Do it as soon as possible. The outcome will only become worse." Lucas suddenly stood up.

"I'm going to take a nap," he proclaimed. "After that, I'm going to tell him."

Charlie paced his tent nervously. He had gotten home from an Order meeting only hours before. He and Stephen had immediately settled into bed where, after spending quality time together, they had both fallen asleep. At least, that's what Charlie thought had happened. Standing now alone, Charlie assumed that Stephen never really had gone to sleep. When Charlie had reawakened, Stephen was gone.

Charlie heard a pop come from outside. He let out a sigh of relief and dashed out of his tent. Stephen's back was turned, but there wasn't a doubt in Charlie's mind that it was he. His slim waist and slender toned arms could not possibly belong to anyone else.

"Stephen!" Charlie shouted. He grabbed the man's shoulder. "Where the hell have you been?"

The man turned around, and Charlie was astonished to be met by a stranger's face. The face was neither the current bandaged face of Stephen, a scab covered face, nor was it Stephen's face before his accident. It was a brand new face that Charlie had never encountered before.

"I'm sorry," Charlie apologized. His mind must have been playing tricks on him in his worry. "I thought that you someone else."

"Actually… It… It is… is me," Stephen stuttered. Charlie shook his head and looked closer at the man in front of him. It wasn't Stephen's face in the slightest, but there was one recognizable part. He had the same shining green-blue eyes. Charlie opened his mouth, closed it, and reopened it. He wanted to be excited about Stephen's miraculous healing, but something about it didn't feel right.

"Your face," Charlie whispered. His hand wandered up to Stephen's cheek. He gently rubbed his thumb against it – not sure whether or not to believe it was real.

"Do you like it?" Stephen asked. He gave Charlie a hopeful smile, but there were tears in his eyes.

"How?" Charlie questioned. "How did you get this?"

"Do you like it?"

"Answer my question," Charlie demanded dropping his hand. "How did you get this?"

"I did something that at the time I wasn't proud of," Stephen admitted.

"Oh God!" Charlie groaned falling to the ground and putting his hands around his neck. "What did you do?"

"I don't regret it now," Stephen assured him. "You're safe now. No one will ever hurt you."

"WHAT DID YOU DO!" Charlie screamed.

"What everyone else I know was too cowardly to do!" Stephen shouted losing his cool. "Charlie. You're safe now. This is the best protection."

"I don't want the best protection," Charlie argued. "I want to stand up for what's right. Voldemort is not right!"

"Let's continue this conversation inside the tent," Stephen said offering his hand. Charlie hit it away.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" he spat. "How long? How long have you been a… a death eater?" Stephen sighed.

"Since my mother's funeral. A couple of days before that Brian came to me and offered help. I didn't want it at the time, but I couldn't lose you, Charlie. I can't lose you the way I lost my mother," he pleaded.

"There's more than one way to lose someone," Charlie whispered. "Go," he said louder. "My job is to keep this place safe from Death Eaters. You're a Death Eater. Leave!" He got up to his feet and pulled out his wand. His hand was shaking as he pointed it at the man he was in love with.

"Charlie," Stephen gasped. "We can work through this." He put up his hands in defense.

"No! No we can't! Don't make me harm you!" Charlie screamed. Stephen didn't move, and suddenly Charlie's anger took over. He shot curse after curse at Stephen. "How could you do this to me?" he cried. "What could we have done wrong?" Stephen gave Charlie a hurt look and disappearated.

Charlie shrieked and fell onto the ground. He sat on his heels, and gasped for breath. It couldn't be real. It must have just been a bad dream. He would wake up from his nap with Stephen's arms still wrapped around him. He would never have to leave those arms. In his mind, Charlie knew that it was real. He knew that Stephen had betrayed him in the worst way. His heart just couldn't catch up and believe it yet.

"Charlie," Lucas called out. He was completely oblivious to what had just happened. He saw Charlie position. He head was completely covered by his hands, but it was obvious that he was crying from the sobs coming from his throat. "What happened?" he whispered kneeling down behind Charlie.

Charlie turned around and gripped Lucas's shirt. His hands were fists in the rough fabric. His eyes were clenched shut, and he sobbed through his teeth. His breathing shuddered with each inhale. Lucas cautiously put a hand on Charlie's back. When Charlie didn't push it away, Lucas completely wrapped his arms around him. He pulled Charlie into his lap and began to rock him. Out of the blue, Vanessa stumbled into view.

"Baby," she gasped. "It's coming."

Charlie sprang up from Lucas's grasp and ran to Vanessa. He forgot about his sorrow and attended to the needs of his friend. Lucas quickly followed and helped Charlie hold Vanessa up as she almost fell in pain and exhaustion. They exchanged a nod and disappearated to St. Mungo's.

They got Vanessa to the delivery ward quickly. They handed her over to a nurse and tried to follow them into the delivery room, but a door was slammed in their faces. All they could do was wait.

Vanessa screamed in pain. She had never giving birth to be this painful. She couldn't understand it. The baby was a month early. There had been no warning. No one had said that the baby would have any kind of issue. She screamed again. Nurses around her were coaxing her to push, and she was trying. It was easier said than done. All she wanted was for her darling daughter to be born without issue.

Charlie and Lucas could hear Vanessa's screams from where they sat. Lucas nervously tapped his fingers on his chair. Charlie sat perfectly still with his hand in his hair.

"Where's Stephen?" Lucas suddenly asked.

Charlie just shook his head in response. He felt tears reenter his eyes, but he willed himself not to cry. He was astonished by his own will power.

"Look, Charlie," Lucas started. "It seems like we're going to have a little while to talk; so, I have something to tell you." Charlie cocked his eyebrow with interest. "To start I just want to say that I'm not gay." Charlie groaned.

"Lucas," he moaned. "I haven't been having the best night of my life. Please, just spit it out."

"There's isn't really a way to… I'm not gay. I'll never identify myself as gay, but… I love you." Lucas swallowed and stared at Charlie waiting for a reaction. Charlie just closed his eyes.

"What?" he asked incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"I've known for a while. Maybe that's why I… sleep around. I love you Charlie. I know you're with Stephen, but…"

"I'm not with Stephen," Charlie interrupted.

"Oh?"

"You're not very good at timing are you?" Charlie joked. It didn't sound like he was joking though. He sounded tired and sad. "I appreciate your feelings, I guess. I just want to be alone for a while Lucas. I'll figure out my feelings later. I haven't had any time to get over Stephen. I don't know if I ever will." He rested his forehead in his hand.

"Of course you will!" Lucas cried. "People get over exes! It happens every day!"

"No!" Charlie yelled. "There isn't some kind of magic off button for me! What he did changes nothing! I still love him!"

They both suddenly noticed a nurse standing in their midst. She awkwardly rocked back and forth on her heels.

"I'm sorry if I've interrupted anything," she apologized. "But Vanessa is ready for visitors."

Charlie stormed away from Lucas and tried to clear his anger before meeting with Vanessa. She looked fatigued in her hospital bed, but she looked delighted to see Charlie.

"I had a spontaneous preterm birth," Vanessa explained as Charlie sat down in a chair next to her. "They say that she'll be alright. She's in the nursery now." Vanessa's smile lit up as she spoke of her daughter. "Where's Stephen?" she asked. Charlie looked down and shook his head.

"I don't think that he's going to meet Adriana," he answered. He explained everything to Vanessa. At the end of his explanation, Vanessa had a shadow covering her face.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie," she consoled. "Did Lucas talk to you?"

"Yeah," Charlie responded upon seeing the look of distaste of Vanessa's face he jumped in to defend him. "He didn't know about Stephen yet though." Vanessa let out a sigh of relief. "When do I get to see her?"

"Soon. We'll go visit her soon. First, sleep." Vanessa closed her eyes and drifted off to a well deserved sleep.

"Stop crying you big baby," Brian complained. Stephen was staying in his apartment. He was curled up the couch silently letting tears drift down his face. He quickly wiped them away.

"Will the Dark Lord agree to my pleas?" he begged.

"How am I supposed to know?" Brian questioned. "If you have good information to offer he may give you a reward in return, but you better hope that whatever you have is worthwhile."

"I have good information," Stephen assured him through a choked up throat. "I can get him full control of creatures that few wizards have ever used in combat."


	20. Chapter 20

I don't own Harry Potter or any affiliated ideas or characters

I'M BACK! I'm so sorry I was gone so long. I had a much busier summer than expected. This chapter is going to be a little short, but more should be coming soon. Once school starts and I see what my life is like I'll come with an actual schedule. Thank you for bearing with me through it all. As always please review when you finish!

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><p>Adriana was beautiful. It was a thought that constantly occupied Charlie's mind. It was what he was thinking about while she did her tummy time on the carpeted floor of Charlie's tent. She had the same dark curly hair as her mother, but that was where that similarity ended. Adriana had dark skin that narrowed down the people that her father could be. At two months she was just beginning to learn to pick her head of the floor. In his own mind, Charlie liked to sometimes imagine that Adriana was his own daughter. He liked to imagine that someday she would be asking him for permission to go out with boys and that someday he would have to tell her skirt was too short. He knew it wouldn't happen though. Adriana was Vanessa's. She didn't have to answer to anyone but Vanessa. All Charlie could do was watch her from time to time.<p>

Would it hurt to watch her grow up? Charlie had, after two months of not seeing Stephen, come to terms with the probability that he would not have children of his own. He hadn't really spoken to Lucas since the fateful night. He wasn't sure what he would say anyway. He doubted he would ever have the same kind of feelings for Lucas. He couldn't feel any chemistry between them. It was highly unlikely that he would find someone other than Lucas in Romania, but the thought of leaving was too much to bear. Adriana would be the closest he'd ever have to a little girl of his own.

Charlie had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Adriana slowly fall into sleep. She was lightly drooling on the carpet now; so, he gently scooped her up in his arms. He started to hum to her a rock song he had been slightly obsessed with lately. It occurred to him that his choice of song wasn't what people usually sang to babies, but he saw no harm in introducing her to interesting music from an early age. She didn't seem to mind anyway. She nuzzled into his shirt and stayed fast asleep.

Vanessa ran a hand through her hair in anxiety. She had hoped that it wouldn't come to this. She sat at a table from an extremely muscular dark skinned man with a buzz cut. He had a hard set expression of distaste on his face.

"It's not that I don't want you to see her I just think it's better this way," Vanessa explained.

"So she is mine," he man inferred. Vanessa threw her hands in the air.

"Of course she is, Jeremy!" Vanessa practically yelled. "The only thing she inherited from me was my hair. The rest looks exactly like you!"

"I think you're legally obligated to let me see her," Jeremy argued.

"Am I?" Vanessa asked seriously. She hadn't looked into it very far. She figured that if Jeremy had just decided to leave her alone, he wouldn't have to worry about caring for Adriana.

"I don't know," Jeremy admitted. "I just hoped you would believe me."

Vanessa sighed. She honestly couldn't put into words why she didn't want Jeremy to see her Adriana, but she knew. Adriana was too beautiful to pass up. Jeremy would want to be a part of her life. Vanessa didn't know how not to have a relationship with Jeremy. It was easier to just not see him. What she was doing wasn't fair to Adriana though. Charlie was good to her, but he wasn't her father. She deserved a father.

"Come with me," she breathed. Jeremy raised his eyebrows in confusion and stammered for a second.

"What?" he asked.

"Come meet your daughter," Vanessa offered. She stuck her hand out to Jeremy. She pulled him across the reserve to Charlie's tent where she had left Adriana for the afternoon.

She opened the tent flap and her heart leapt a bit in her chest when she saw Charlie with Adriana. She was so tiny in his arms, but she looked so relaxed. Charlie was humming a song that sounded suspiciously like something she had recently heard on the radio. Charlie didn't even notice her enter. His eyes were close, and he was wrapped up in his own little world. Adriana's little fist was resting up against his neck and a thin line of drool was running down his shirt. An outsider wouldn't know, but Vanessa could tell that Charlie was a little close to tears. She cleared her throat to save him from embarrassment.

Charlie slowly opened his arms and gave a little look of shock at the sight of Jeremy. He caught on quickly though. He glanced down at the sleeping Adriana in his arms and back at Jeremy. He gave a small smile and gracefully handed Adriana over to her rightful father.

Jeremy let out a breath as if he had been underwater. His smile that had started out small and timid gradually got larger. He kept shaking his head as if he was in disbelief that this little girl was partially his. His eyes glowed with a light that people only have when they discover the thing that means the most to them. He looked back up at Vanessa and Charlie with pride.

"She's lovely," he gasped. He tried to hide it when a tear rolled down his cheek. "Vanessa, she's so perfect." Vanessa grinned and nodded. Jeremy was able to hold Adriana in just one arm so he spread his other arm out to bring Vanessa into an embrace. Charlie felt a pit suddenly form in his stomach.

"I'll give you guys some privacy," he recommended. He tried not to leave to hastily. He didn't want to seem too desperate to escape the room filled with family love.

He got outside and took off at a dead sprint. He came to his and Stephen's picnic area. He fell to his knees and started to cry. It wasn't fair. At this point he wouldn't even be a father figure to Adriana. She had a real father for that now. Charlie would just fade into the family friend position and end up relied on for very little. He with his knees bent and picked up pebbles to throw over the edge. Everything had been going so well two months ago. How could so much change so quickly?

"Charlie," Charlie heard his name said quietly behind him. He turned around to see Lucas standing a distance away. He gestured for Lucas to sit down next to him.

"Where did it go wrong?" he demanded. "Why wasn't Stephen and my love good enough for the universe? I tried to help him. Why weren't my efforts enough?"

"You can't blame yourself," Lucas assured him. "This is a hard time for any relationship, let alone a…"

"A what?" Charlie asked. "Just say it."

"I was just going to say that your relationship had challenges that others don't have to deal with. Stephen's mother's situation wasn't exactly easy as I gather." Charlie nodded. "Will you reconsider me?"

"Lucas," Charlie sighed. "Timing."

"Someone once told me I wasn't good at it," Lucas joked. Charlie found himself chuckling for the first time in a while.

Things hadn't been easy on Stephen's end either. He lived with Brian and a young witch in a small apartment in London. His days were spent planning an attack that paid for Charlie's safety. The witch's name was Stephanie and she had apparently grown up in a pureblood death eater family. The day the Dark Lord came back to power had basically been the best day of her life.

"You work too hard," Stephanie complained one afternoon while Stephen poured over maps for the hundredth time.

"Working keeps my mind off of things," Stephen explained. Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"You should really get over that Chuck," she proposed.

"Charlie," Stephen corrected. "You knew his name too. You just did that to try and bother me."

"I could help you get over him," she offered. She unbuttoned the top button of her blouse. Stephen gently pushed her away.

"I'm gay," he reminded her. Stephanie laughed.

"Ok," she agreed. "Whatever you say. I'm going to make some tea. You want some?" Stephen nodded and she wandered off to the kitchen.

Stephen of course already knew what his plan was. He had known for days. He was just drawing out time. He had assurance that Charlie would be safe, but he couldn't get a pass for anyone else. Even with Charlie's pardon, he would be captured if he resisted. Stephen doubted he would be treated very well. He couldn't bring himself to launch an attack on the place he used to call home and family.

Stephanie came back into the room with two mugs of steaming tea prepared just the way Stephen liked it. She had made enough cups of tea for him at the point to know how much milk and sugar he liked. He took a deep breath of the steam escaping the top of the mug. He didn't realize how much he wanted tea. His mind seemed to almost cloud of with the aroma. He took a tentative sip and was so entranced that he practically gulped that whole thing down in one sip. He looked up at Stephanie and strange sensation over took him. She looked stunning.

Stephen had always been capable of appreciating the beauty of a woman, but nothing had ever felt like this. He felt himself harden in his pants. He took in a deep breath and tried to make heads or tails of his new feelings. A few minutes ago hadn't he said he was gay? Why, all of a sudden, did he want to leap across the table to kiss her? Why did he think he was gay? Stephen couldn't think of a reason that he ever thought someone was more attractive than Stephanie. He suddenly realized with embarrassment that he was drooling.

"Let's move to another room," Stephanie said.

Stephen woke up the next morning in Stephanie's bed with his clothes strewn around the floor. He sat up sudden and shook Stephanie awake. Before she could say anything he got out of the bed and gathered up his clothes.

"What did you do?" he demanded.

"Relax," she groaned. "It was just a little love potion. It was fun wasn't it."

"At the time," Stephen answered, "yes. Now, however I feel disgusting." He spun around with sudden recognition. "You raped me."

"Oh please," Stephanie scoffed. "You call that rape? It could have been a lot worse. Trust me."

"No, no," Stephen insisted. "You raped me." He pulled on the last of his clothing and slammed the door behind him.

He walked straight out of the apartment, but he wasn't sure where he was heading. It was colder than he expected and he hadn't thought to bring a coat. He looked into the window of a department store just to see the face of a stranger staring back at him. A part of Stephen wished that he still had bandages for Charlie to change every few days. The work was tedious and painful, but at least it was familiar.


	21. Chapter 21

Trigger Warning: Attempted rape

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I am the proud owner of a llama in British Columbia.

I can practically feel you trying to figure out who tries to rape who... Anyways, I'm back. So far Wednesdays feel like a good day for me to update. Still trying to figure things out so that may be subject to change. I finally found the one spot in my room where I have wifi. Please review and tell your friends. If you for whatever reason are wondering about my personal life, I found a dead cat in my yard on Sunday. Enjoy!

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><p>Jeremy was a good father to Adriana, and Charlie couldn't help but be jealous. She smiled when Charlie entered the room, but when she took sight of Jeremy her whole face would light up. Jeremy took just as much pleasure with her company. He spent time with her every day, and it was obvious that they would have a good relationship throughout their lives.<p>

Charlie felt himself fading more and more into the background of Adriana and Vanessa's lives. Now, he was only called upon when both Vanessa and Jeremy were busy, which was not very often. He cherished those couple of hours anytime they came as if it was the last time he would get a chance to hold Adriana. It was a ridiculous notion of course, and Charlie was barely slipping away at all, but issues with friendships always seem larger than they actually are.

"Do you notice anything…off about Vanessa?" Charlie asked Lucas one day while they ate their lunch together. "Something not altogether right." Lucas put his fork down.

"What do you mean?" he asked not completely innocently.

"I guess nothing really. We don't talk as much and I don't know. She just seems distant." Lucas nervously licked his lips.

"Alright I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but obviously this is bothering you so I might as well set things straight," Lucas started. Charlie leaned forward with interest. "She's restarted things with Jeremy." Charlie practically shouted with excitement, but he stopped himself.

"Are they dating?" he asked. Vanessa's relationship hadn't been what he had been trying to figure out at all, but this was far more interesting than feeling left out. Lucas nodded.

"More than that," he continued with more intensity. "He moved in with her and Adriana. I think she's going to be serious about him."

Charlie tried to remember the last time Vanessa had a serious relationship. It had been a while. She didn't sleep around the way that Lucas did, but long term dating didn't work well with her. She seemed to just not enjoy it. If she was living with Jeremy it really meant she was serious. A thought suddenly occurred to Charlie.

"Why didn't she want me to know?" he inquired of Lucas. Lucas's joy quickly left him and was replaced by the return of his nervous lip licking.

"You've been a bit emotional lately, Charlie," Lucas admitted. "There's no denying it. She didn't want you to be upset that their relationship is moving along so quickly." The statement about Charlie's emotions stung him a little. He tried to seem not put off by it.

"Doesn't seem to be moving quickly to me," he shrugged. "She was pregnant for seven months. That's seven months they weren't living together." Lucas smiled and shook his head.

"You know what I mean."

Charlie chuckled a little and looked down at the glass of water he found himself clutching tightly. He loosened his grip and took a sip. Lucas looked undeniably attractive in the current light. They were inside the lunch tent, but afternoon sunlight was streaming through the tent flap and hitting Lucas's dirty blonde hair just at the top so that it shined. Lucas noticed Charlie staring at him.

"What?" he asked. "Is there something on face?"

"Nah," Charlie answered shaking his head. "I just realized that I've never really given you a proper answer."

"Don't worry about that," Lucas mollified. "Seeing that you aren't sleeping in my bed, I think I've gotten my answer."

"No," Charlie maintained. "You deserve a real answer. My answer is that I'm flattered. I never expected to be able to find someone other than Stephen. I'm even getting over him in a way. I guess it's about time. My point is that maybe someday I'll be ready to be with you. Until then, I don't want to lead you on. Do what you usually do, and I'll come around eventually."

"I've stopped with the women," Lucas interrupted. Charlie shook his head.

"That's my point," he explained. "I don't want you to."

"_I_ want to," Lucas argued. "It's my way of showing that I'm serious about you. You don't have to devote yourself to me yet or whatever, but I'm already there. I'm already waiting."

"I don't want to feel like you're waiting for me," Charlie complained. "It's like having someone stare at you while you finish a meal only ten times worse."

"Fine," Lucas agreed. "But you can't make me sleep with women."

A couple of days went by, and Charlie found the uncomfortableness he felt before slipping away. Once he got to know him, he enjoyed Jeremy's company quite a bit. Jeremy was friendly and willing to discuss anything. He was a talker to say the least. He spoke to anyone within reach, and that included Adriana. He would tell her stories that she couldn't possibly understand yet.

Jeremy also seemed to wordlessly understand Charlie's need to see Adriana frequently. He never kept her away for long. Often he would pretend to have work at the same as Vanessa just so Charlie had an excuse to babysit. On those days, he would go for a long walk proud that he had done a good deed that day. Yes, things seemed to be going swimmingly until Jeremy had an inevitable question.

"What ever happened to that guy, Stephen that you were with?" Jeremy asked innocently. Charlie almost did a spit take. He had nearly forgotten that it wasn't common knowledge that Stephen was a Death Eater. Charlie saw Vanessa stiffen behind Jeremy when she heard the question.

"We both had different values that didn't match up," he explained waving off the question, but Jeremy wasn't deterred.

"He's never around anymore though. Why'd he quit his job?" he inquired. Charlie couldn't figure out a way around that one. There was plenty of dating among workers, but very few ever quit because of a bad breakup. Charlie was stunned for a moment as he tried to figure out a proper response.

"You ask too many questions," Vanessa scolded Jeremy. With her reproachful tone, Jeremy let go of the topic.

"Sorry if I pried," Jeremy apologized. Charlie let out a relieved breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. "If you're ready to get back out there if have a friend you could try. What do you say? How about a double date tonight? You, my friend, Vanessa, and me."

"I don't really do blind date," Charlie tried to dissuade.

"You don't do any kind of dating," Vanessa pointed out. "You might as well try."

Was Charlie ready for dating? He didn't see any reason why he shouldn't try. People were constantly using the terms rebound and transition. Maybe this guy could be Charlie's rebound. Perhaps it would help him get over Stephen to get closer to Lucas. It was possible that a meaningless date was exactly what he needed.

"I'll do it!" Charlie answered more enthusiastically then he meant.

"Great!" Jeremy replied matching Charlie's enthusiasm. "Meet here at eight!"

Charlie smiled in thanks and left Vanessa and Jeremy's tent. He decided in a spur of the moment to go visit Lucas while he worked. He had the opportunity to tell him the news before he heard it from someone else. He knew exactly where he would be. He was in the abandoned egg warming tent.

Charlie pushed through the tent flap and stopped dead in his tracks. Lucas hadn't noticed him enter yet and something stalled Charlie. Looking at Lucas work so lovingly and carefully made him realize that he could fall in love with him. He was suddenly afraid that Lucas would be hurt by the news of him going out on a date. He would just have to make it clear that it didn't mean much.

"Hey, Lucas," he said finding that his voice was shaking.

"Oh hi, Charlie," Lucas greeted. "I didn't see you come in." They sat in silence for a moment while Charlie worked up the courage to give his news.

"I have a date tonight," he spilled. Lucas jerked his head back and stared at Charlie for a moment then looked back down at the egg his was warming with his wand. "Jeremy offered to set me up with a friend of his, and now I have a double date with him and Vanessa." Lucas nodded and bit his lip.

"Why is this guy a better option than me?" he asked. It sounded like he was trying to joke, but he ended up just sounding hurt. Charlie looked at him in distress.

"Lucas!" he cried. "He isn't. I think he'll help me get over Stephen." Lucas continued to stare at his egg.

"Why don't you let me help you?" he begged. "I know I could."

"I don't want you to be a rebound relationship," Charlie explained. Lucas hadn't made eye contact with Charlie throughout the conversation. He simply sighed in response. "Lucas, won't you look at me?"

Lucas lifted his head and looked at Charlie but still not directly in the eyes, and he didn't smile. His face was expressionless. Charlie felt himself over come with grief at the look of pain in Lucas's eyes, and he did something he hadn't expected to.

"I think I'll fall in love with you," he said feeling the words fall out of his mouth. He quickly bent down and kissed Lucas on the cheek. He hurried out of the tent, but not before he saw Lucas's mouth twitch into a smile.

A few minutes before eight, Charlie stood in front of his mirror inspecting himself. He had spent the better part of the evening finding a shirt and pants he hadn't ruined through work. All he had found were his suit from Bronwyn's funeral, which was too formal, a pair of dark wash jeans, and a blue sweater. He found it strangely humorous how he only cared about his appearance on special occasions. When Charlie was young he assumed that gay men were all obsessed with their looks.

He enjoyed his walk to Vanessa's tent. He hadn't had the need to walk in the dark for quite a while, and he was finding the view of the stars relaxing. Like many people before him, Charlie liked to remember that everyone he loved would see the same stars. Charlie chuckled as he suddenly realized that everyone he hated saw the same stars too. He wondered group Stephen now belonged to. The stars belonged to everyone and no one all the same.

Charlie date for the night, Nathan, was not up to par. He was no good at conversing. Once the small talk had been completed the conversation was much less than stimulating. Nathan knew nothing of Charlie's standby topic of quidditch. Nathan was a wand maker by profession, and though Charlie would be interested to learn about that, the only thing Nathan would speak of on that matter was how much he hated his mentor. Charlie found that like the first time he and Stephen shared feelings for each other, he felt awkward. Nathan lacked the teasing easy going nature of Stephen. By nine, Charlie was restless and ready to go back to his tent. He gently excused himself and thanked Vanessa for the dinner.

"I'll walk you back," Nathan offered gentlemanly. Charlie smiled and nodded. Though he wasn't too impressed by Nathan, he thought some company would be nice.

He was sorely mistaken. The walk there was uncomfortable enough. They were in complete silence, and Charlie could practically feel Nathan breathing down his neck. He was grateful when he finally reached his tent. Charlie said goodbye and Nathan nodded in response. He didn't feel like he should kiss or even hug Nathan in farewell; so he stuck out his hand for a handshake. Nathan took his hand firmly, more firmly than Charlie had expected.

Nathan grabbed Charlie's arm and started to push him into the tent before Charlie could even realize what was going on. He seized Charlie's other hand and used it to cover his mouth to smother the yell that was just escaping his lips. Charlie struggled as hard as he could and managed to get loose for a mere second, but Nathan was back on top of him. He shoved him from behind towards the cot and slammed Charlie's face into the pillow. He held Charlie's arms back in an uncomfortable position with one hand. He had a knee on the back of Charlie's head, and he was quickly using his free hand to try to rip off Charlie's clothes. Charlie thrashed and screamed but his anguish was muffled by the pillows. Suddenly, he felt Nathan stop moving entirely.

"Don't make another move or I swear, I will kill you," said a familiar voice. Charlie gasped in both surprise and relief. He noticed that his pillow was wet with his own tears. He felt Nathan get off his body and back away towards the wall.

"Get the fuck out," the voice warned. Charlie heard Nathan sprint out of the tent, and he heard a pop outside that meant he had left. Charlie slowly turned over onto his back.

Stephen stood above him with his hand still clenched tightly around his wand. He was shivering slightly and his body was covered with a thin layer of sweat. He looked down at Charlie with his blue green eyes screaming relief.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Charlie could barely get words out for a moment.

"No," he mumbled. "You, get the fuck out. How dare you accuse him of evil after what you've done?" Stephen rolled his eyes.

"So you're not happy I saved you?" he questioned.

"That's not what I said," Charlie murmured. Stephen stared at him for a second and then turned a picked a glass up off of Charlie's desk. He quickly filled it with water and handed it to him.

"I'm not going to go until I'm sure you're okay," he claimed decisively. Charlie obliged to the water and figured that it would be very difficult for him to get Stephen out in his current state. He downed the glass quickly, and Stephen refilled it again.

"Why'd you come here anyway," Charlie asked between sips.

"To make sure you're safe," Stephen explained. Charlie gave up trying to understand. His head hurt.

"I know what it's like to be raped," Stephen revealed. Charlie looked up in confusion. He had never heard Stephen mention rape. "It happened recently," Stephen said with a shake of his hand. "You feel like you don't belong to yourself, and you start to hate your own body. Maybe it's because it's your body that made the person want to do what they did in the first place. I don't know. Whatever the reason you won't feel at home in your own body. It's okay though. You're strong. You'll get through it."

Charlie didn't like taking advice from Stephen. He lost the privilege of intimate conversation when he walked out. Charlie felt like his was betraying himself by listening to his feelings. He did feel like he had been taken advantage of, but he also felt that way about Stephen. Stephen had never taken advantage of his body, but he did of his love.

"I'm fine now," Charlie demanded interrupting Stephen's thoughts.

"You're not yet," he said shaking his head. "I need you to get out of here tonight, just one night." Charlie looked apprehensive. "Please."

"Why?" he questioned.

"Don't make me tell you," Stephen pleaded. "You know why."

"If it's what I think it is," Charlie began bravely, "I'd rather die than leave."

"I can only offer you so much protection," Stephen begged.

"I don't want your fucking protection!" Charlie shouted. "Tell _him_ that they can kill me if they want. I don't care. Get out so I can get a defense together. I hope you're happy. You've lost your element of surprise."

"I underestimated your bravery," Stephen said smiling sadly. "You really are the Gryffindor I fell in love with." He disappearated with a pop. Charlie dashed out of his tent into the night.


End file.
